§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many successful claimants there were in 1999 for each of the(a) agri-environment and (b) other schemes that make up the ERDP. [136759]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 6 November 2000]: The information is as follows:
Agri-environment Schemes
Countryside Stewardship Scheme
There were approximately 8,700 agreement holders accepted into the Scheme between 1991 and 1998 who were eligible to claim in 1999. The majority of these will have made at least one claim relevant to their agreement.
Footnote: Annual management payments are made in arrears at the end of each agreement year. Claims for capital works can be made at any time after the work is completed. Interim claims for capital works may be made above a minimum of £250. Therefore, number of claims paid may include more than one eligible claim from the same individual.Arable Stewardship Scheme
There were 75 agreement holders accepted into the Scheme in 1998 who were eligible to claim in 1999. The majority of these will have made at least one claim relevant to their agreement.
Footnote: As for Countryside Stewardship.Environmentally Sensitive Areas
There were 9,855 successful claims for annual payments paid in 1999.
Footnote: A very small number of claimants may have been eligible to make more than one claim.Organic Farming Scheme/Organic Aid Scheme
The number of agreement-holders eligible to claim in 1999 for OFS was 1,270. The number of agreement holders eligible to claim for the OAS was 388.
Footnote: Information on the number of actual claims paid in the year is not available.Other Schemes under the ERDP
Farm Woodland Scheme/Farm Woodland Premium Scheme
There were some 6,050 successful claims paid under FWS/FWPS in 1999 as part of the ongoing annual payments to compensate for agricultural income forgone as a result of planting woodland on farmland.
Footnote: These claims relate to applications approved under the FWS 1988, the FWPS 1992 and FWPS 1997. In general, under the FWPS, most of the first annual payments in respect of approvals 568W entered into in one year do not fall due until the following year. The number of claims paid may include more than one eligible claim from the same individual.Woodland Grant Scheme
There were 10,210 successful claims paid in 1999, including first and second instalment payments.
Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance (now superseded by the Hill Farm Allowance Scheme)
There were 12,345 successful claims paid in 1999.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will summarise changes since 1995 in the rate of individual payments made under each agri-environment scheme included in the ERDP. [136628]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 6 November 2000]: The agri-environment schemes have been subject to a rolling review programme. Part of this programme has been a commitment to review the individual payments made under the schemes on a two or three yearly basis. The setting of the payment rates is governed by an EU Regulation, which requires them to be based upon income foregone. Tables showing all the changes in individual payment rates made following reviews each year since 1995 are being placed in the Libraries of the House.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what changes the majority of farmers will experience in their incomes as a direct result of the mechanisms of the ERDP. [136732]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 6 November 2000]: Most farmers will see a reduction in their direct subsidy payments as a result of modulation. Some farmers will be able to enhance their revenues by participating in ERDP measures. Because the funds from modulation will be matched by new government funding the revenues received by the farming industry as a whole will be increased.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food if he will provide estimates of the proportion of the total funding for the ERDP that will be(a) paid directly to farmers on an income forgone basis, (b) paid directly to farmers on the condition that it will be used to purchase specified goods and services and (c) paid directly to farmers without pre-requirement to forgo income or conditions on its use. [136728]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 6 November 2000]: The indicative financial tables in the ERDP (which will be published shortly and posted on the MAFF website) show that:
around 62 per cent. of programme expenditure is assigned to agri-environment schemes and the Farm Woodland Premium Scheme (where payments are based on income forgone); andthe remaining 38 per cent. is assigned to the Hill Farm Allowance Scheme, Woodland Grant Scheme, Rural Enterprise Scheme, Processing and Marketing Grant, Vocational Training Scheme and Energy Crops Scheme. The basis of grant aid is different for each of these schemes and is set out in the ERDP scheme literature on the MAFF website. It does not involve income forgone.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which agri-environment schemes will be included in the ERDP. [136493]
569W
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 6 November 2000]: The agri-environment schemes included in the ERDP are the Countryside Stewardship Scheme, the Organic Farming Scheme and the Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food which farm subsidy schemes will be modulated as part of the ERDP. [136494]
§ Mr. Nick Brown[holding answer 6 November 2000]: In order to fund additional measures in the ERDP, all farmers who receive direct payments under CAP support schemes will have those payments modulated from 2001. These schemes are:
Sheep Annual Premium Scheme
Beef Special Premium Scheme
Suckler Cow Premium Scheme
Slaughter Premium Scheme
Extensification Premium Scheme
Arable Area Payments Scheme (including flax and hemp)
Hops
Seeds
Potato Starch.
§ Mr. YeoTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food how many successful claims were made in 1999 for each of the farm subsidy schemes that will be modulated as part of the ERDP. [136760]
§ Mr. Nick BrownThe numbers of successful claims made in England in 1999 for each of the farm subsidy schemes that will be modulated to fund additional measures in the ERDP were as follows:
Arable Area Payments Scheme: 74,189
Flax and Hemp: 1,918
Hops: 14
Seeds: 1,154
Potato starch: 101
Sheep Annual Premium Scheme: 33,176
Beef Special Premium Scheme: 112,393
Suckler Cow Premium Scheme: 21,873.
The new Slaughter Premium and Extensification Premium Schemes will also be modulated.