§ Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many(a) farmers and (b) farms are involved in the organic farming schemes, broken down by region. [81148]
§ Mr. MeacherInformation is held by beneficiary. The number of beneficiaries under the Organic Farming Scheme and the Organic Aid Scheme by region is as follows:
Region Total East Midlands 178 Eastern 160 London 1 North East 51 North West 149 South East 285 South West 873 West Midlands 256 Yorks/Humber 120 Grand total 2,073
§ Andrew GeorgeTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding schemes are available for organic farming; and how much is available in each scheme. [81149]
§ Mr. MeacherSupport for farmers converting to organic farming is currently available under the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) which is part of the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP).
Subject to the agreement of the European Commission, as set out in the Action Plan to Develop Organic Food and Farming in England, from 2003 we intend to extend aid to farmers who have completed conversion. The budgets for the OFS from this year to the end of the life of the ERDP is as follows.
Year £ million 2002 20 2003 22 2004 22 2005 23 2006 23 We also provide other support, for example through the Department's research and development 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). Spending on organic R&D is expected to be just over £2 million and expenditure on OCIS around £350,000 in the current financial year.