§ Paddy TippingTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the development of an entry-level agri-environment scheme; and what consultation there has been on the proposed scheme. [87864]
§ Mr. Meacher[holding answer 18 December 2002]: Work is currently in progress to develop a pilot entry-level scheme which will be used to test the concept in four areas of the country, each with a different range of farming systems. Subject to the success of this pilot, the Government plans to make an entry-level scheme available to farmers across England from 2005.
The development of this pilot scheme was informed by the responses to a consultation exercise run as part of a wider review of agri-environment schemes, to which over 130 responses were received from a wide range of organisations and interested individuals. A working group with membership drawn from a variety of environmental and agricultural organisations has also been closely involved in developing the pilot scheme.
In the past few weeks, the first draft of the pilot scheme has been subject to a pre-pilot exercise. Through the working group members, over 100 farmers have been asked for their views on this draft. The responses are currently being analysed and will be used to revise the scheme before it is launched next spring.
The pilots themselves will also be closely monitored, and the results used to inform the design of the main scheme.