§ Mr. CoxTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial help she gives to farmers who wish to switch to organic production. [12078]
§ Mr. MorleyAid is available under the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS), which is part of the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP), to help farmers convert to organic farming. £140 million has been committed to funding the OFS over the life of the ERDP.
Aid under the OFS is paid over five years according to the category of land being converted. The rates of aid are as follows:
£ per hectare Land eligible for arable area payments and land in permanant crops Other improved land Unimproved land Year 1 225 175 25 Year 2 135 105 10 Year 3 50 40 5 Year 4 20 15 5 Year 5 20 15 5 Total 450 350 50 In addition, each organic unit being converted under the OFS is eligible for payments totalling £600 towards the initial cost of advice and training.
As well as financial assistance for conversion, we also provide other support, for example, through the Department's R and D programme, which includes a large component dealing with research on organic farming, and through the provision of free advice to prospective organic farmers by the Organic Conversion Information Service (OCIS).