§ Mr. FlynnTo ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what the 10 highest grants paid are to farmers in England for each environmental aid scheme. [145780]
§ Mr. Morley[holding answer 16 January 2001]: The main agri-environment schemes in England are Environmentally Sensitive Areas, the Countryside Stewardship Scheme and the Organic Farming Scheme. The 10 highest payments made under each scheme in the year 2000 were:
£ Environmentally sensitive areas scheme Countryside stewardship scheme Organic farming scheme 1. 116,109 89,371 70,139 2. 159,573 63,663 66,123 3. 122,912 60,285 65,934 4. 120,541 42,698 52,666 5. 115,681 40,773 50,591 6. 112,640 39,339 45,909 7. 111,479 35,580 43,609 8. 89,225 33,394 42,440 9. 71,895 33,020 41,769 10. 67,418 32,782 39,970 Note:
Although each payment was for a single agreement, some agreements involved multiple beneficiaries, such as commoners' association.
Farmers may receive payments for additional environmentally friendly activities from English Nature, the Countryside Agency, English Heritage, local authorities or National Park Authorities.