§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what land area in total was affected by problems of soil erosion in each of the last 10 years, broken down by county; and what area of agricultural land in total has become unusable in each case. [165752]
§ Mr. BradshawAll soils that are not sealed, e.g. built on, are potentially at risk of erosion. Whether erosion occurs depends on various factors, especially land management, soil type and weather conditions.
Over the last 10 years very little agricultural land has become unusable due to soil erosion, although a number of watercourses have suffered damage from siltation and/or eutrophication due to soil-borne nutrients.
§ Norman BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the volume of soil erosion, as measured in tonnes per hectare per annum was, broken down by country in(a) 1975, (b) 1985, (c) 1995 and (d) 2002. [165814]
§ Mr. BradshawLatest estimates taken between 1996 and 1998 suggest that total erosion from arable land in England and Wales is estimated at 2.9 million tonnes per annum. These losses are concentrated in small and limited areas within catchments where particular land management practices, soil types and weather conditions present the highest risk to erosion. In such risky areas losses range between 0.01 to 12 tonnes per hectare per annum, with a median value of 0.1 tonnes per hectare per annum. We do not have comparable figures broken down by year and country.