HC Deb 08 May 2001 vol 368 c139W
Mr. Stephen O'Brien

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food when the Department acquired(a) the EpiMan computer programme, (b) associated hardware and (c) access to expertise and advice for its (i) installation and (ii) operation; at what total cost; and when the EpiMan programme and operating system was (1) installed and (2) operating for full use by his Department. [157633]

Ms Quin

[holding answer 9 April 2001]: The Ministry was already contracted partners to the EpiMan project in 1996. The start-up costs were approximately £16,000. An updated version of the system was obtained and installed on Monday 19 February 2001 at no additional cost. The associated hardware was already available and access to expertise and advice, specifically for its use in the current epidemic, was operational from the time of confirmation of the first case. It is not possible to estimate the cost of operating this system.

Average subsidies received by full-time farm businesses—England 1999–2000
£000
Of which:
Total direct subsidies Crop subsidies Livestock subsidies Agri-environment Other1
Cereals 37.8 34.2 2.3 1.0 0.1
General cropping 31.8 28.8 2.4 0.6 0.0
Horticulture 0.40 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.2
Pigs and poultry 3.6 2.2 1.4 0.1 0.0
Dairy 8.5 2.8 4.9 0.8 0.0
LFA cattle and Sheep 29.3 0.4 25.4 3.3 0.2
Lowland cattle and sheep 14.1 1.7 10.6 1.8 0.0
Mixed 33.8 21.4 10.7 1.7 0.0
All types 22.5 14.8 6.4 1.2 0.1
1Includes capital grants and any other miscellaneous grants. These reflect a combination of nationally funded and partly match funded schemes

Notes:

1. HLCA payments to hill farms are included under livestock subsidies

2. The figures show direct subsidy payments; they do not include allowance for the financial benefit of prices supported above world market levels under the CAP

Source:

Farm Business Survey

In addition to CAP direct payments, farmers in the UK are benefiting from £1.35 billion in short-term financial relief since 2 May 1997.

This incudes £785 million in agrimonetary compensation worth some £4,800 per average arable farmer, £3,200 per average dairy farmer, £1,400 per average sheep farmer, and £1,140 and £3,800 per average farmer for agrimonetary compensation related to the beef special premium scheme and suckler cow premium scheme respectively.

The Government are committed to securing a more economically rational CAP. We aim to redirect public money from agricultural price support mechanisms to