Organic Farming (Hansard, 12 July 2000)

§ Mr. Peter Bottomley
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how much money the Government have allocated for research into(a) organic farming, (b) biotechnology and genetic modification and (c) agriculture in total in the next three years. [127791]

§ Mr. Morley
My Department funds a wide and varied programme of research worth over £100 million per annum to support and inform our policies. Current and projected funding levels for my Department's research in the areas specified are:

£ million

2000–01 2001–02

Organic farming 2.1 2.1

Biotechnology¹ ca.24 ca.24

Genetic modification² ca.5 ca.5

Total agriculture 90.9 93.7

¹Research which uses modern biotechnology as a tool. Costs exclude expenditure on genetic modification.

²Includes research on genetically modified food and non-food products and to underpin safety assessments of genetically modified organisms in the environment.

Note:
All figures are provisional
A large amount of MAFF's biotechnology research has no relevance to genetic engineering, but focuses instead on areas such as the development of new tools for pest 585W and disease diagnosis, biological control techniques, and other means of pest and disease control in plants and animals.
Figures for research spending in 2002–03 and beyond are not yet available. These will be subject to Spending Review decisions, to be announced shortly, and on the outcome of the consultation on a new MAFF Research Strategy to cover the period 2001 to 2005, to be launched later this year.

§ Joan Ruddock
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will estimate the decrease in pesticide usage that would result from 30 per cent. of agricultural land becoming organic in the UK. [126310]

§ Mr. Morley
[holding answer 27 June 2000]: It is not possible to calculate a meaningful figure. The use of pesticides varies markedly from crop to crop, and year to year, and the calculation would have to be based on assumptions about the use of the land that was to be converted. In addition, there are a number of pesticides available for use in organic agriculture but little information on the levels of their use. Some organic pesticides are permitted for use at higher rates than are the alternative conventional pesticides. On the other hand, some organic farmers seek to avoid the use even of these pesticides.

£ million
	2000–01	2001–02
Organic farming	2.1	2.1
Biotechnology¹	ca.24	ca.24
Genetic modification²	ca.5	ca.5
Total agriculture	90.9	93.7
¹Research which uses modern biotechnology as a tool. Costs exclude expenditure on genetic modification.
²Includes research on genetically modified food and non-food products and to underpin safety assessments of genetically modified organisms in the environment.