§ Lord Marlesfordasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether, under the new European guidance on the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) of the Common Agricultural Policy, in cases where field boundaries do not exceed two metres the Ordnance Survey areas will continue to be allowed for the Arable Area Payments Scheme; and whether in cases where field boundaries do exceed two metres, it is the excess over two metres or the whole width of the boundary which has to be excluded from the claimed area; and, if the latter, why fields with wider boundaries are not to be allowed the new standard of two metres under customary agricultural practice. [HL1077]
§ Baroness HaymanAccording to the IACS Regulations, farmers can claim arable area payments on fields which are fully utilised according to customary agricultural practice. Guidance from the European Commission, endorsed by the European Court of Auditors, indicates that payments can be claimed on the full Ordnance Survey of area of a field as long as the field margins do not exceed two metres in width. The regulations also provide that, where a field is not fully utilised, only the cropped area can be claimed. This means that, where part or all of a field margin exceeds two metres, the full width of that part of the margin has to be deducted from the area claimed.
In view of the concerns that have been expressed about the implications for the environment of reducing the width of field margins, my officials are in discussion with the European Commission on what can be considered as traditional agricultural practice.