Mr. RobertsonTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will make a statement about the proposed measurement of hedgerows in connection with related financial support. [131572]
§ Ms QuinWe were pleased to secure the European Commission's agreement that, for the current year, we should continue to apply the rules on hedgerows and other types of field margin in the same way as we have done in previous years. For 2001 and subsequent years we are actively exploring with the Commission the options for dealing with the issue in a way which avoids environmental damage, excessive red tape, and adverse effects on farmers' returns from area-based payments. Our 1129W favoured option would be for the EU legislation to provide for the flexibility needed to cover traditional UK farming systems.