§ Mr. LetwinTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will classify West Dorset as an area qualifying for hill farming compensation. [118623]
§ Ms Quin[holding answer 17 April 2000]: To qualify for hill livestock compensatory allowances, West Dorset would have to be designated as a Less Favoured Area (LFA).
LFAs in the UK were first designated under Council Directive 75/276/EEC, and last amended by Commission Decision 91/25/EEC. For any additional area to be designated as LFA it would need to meet the general criteria set out in Council Regulation (EC) No. 1257/99 (Articles 17-21) and the specific criteria set out in Council Directive 75/268/EEC (Articles 3 (4) and 5) as adopted by Council Directive 84/169/EEC.
Proposals for any extension of the LFA area in England would need to be submitted to the European Commission for approval as part of the England Rural Development Plan. No such proposals have been included.