§ Mr. EdwardsTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what support he plans to give to farmers' co-operatives in the(a) dairy sector, (b) sheep sector and (c) beef sector. [139272]
§ Ms QuinThe Government are keen to encourage the development of co-operatives and similar collaborative groups across all agricultural sectors. Collaboration can help farmers and growers to secure the scale required to do business with today's major buyers, strengthen members' buying power, and provide access to professional expertise in important areas such as marketing and new production techniques. The England Rural Development Programme, launched last month, identifies improved levels of co-operation and collaboration as a national priority. In particular, collaborative groupings will be able to put forward projects for funding under the new Processing and Marketing Grant, Rural Enterprise Scheme and Vocational Training Scheme. Over £200 million of funding is available under these schemes over seven years.