§ Mr. WhittingdaleTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she272W has made of the change in support which will result from the introduction of single farm payment to farmers in severely disadvantaged areas. [160491]
§ Alun MichaelDefra will publish shortly an analysis of the economic impact on the English farming industry of the decoupling of CAP direct payment and the decision to allocate entitlement on the basis set out in the Secretary of State's Statement to the House on 12 February.
§ Mr. WhittingdaleTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the(a) severely disadvantaged areas and (b) number of farmers in each. [160492]
§ Alun MichaelThe severely disadvantaged areas are those areas of land within less favourable areas of the UK, which are handicapped, principally by reason of high altitude, harsh climate, short growing season, low fertility, difficult topography or remoteness. The Severely Disadvantaged Areas are defined on an England basis and are as such treated as one entity. There are approximately 7,400 agricultural holdings wholly within the SDA and another 7,300 that straddle the boundary. The SDA are defined in statutory maps and in England lie within the following constituencies:
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- Barnsley West and Pen
stone County Constituency - Barrow and Furness County Constituency
- Berwick-Upon-Tweed County Constituency
- Bishop Auckland County Constituency
- Blackburn Borough Constituency
- Bolton North East Borough Constituency
- Bolton West County Constituency
- Bradford South Borough Constituency
- Bradford West Borough Constituency
- Bridgwater County Constituency
- Burnley Borough Constituency
- Burton County Constituency
- Bury North Borough Constituency
- Calder Valley County Constituency
- Chorley County Constituency
- City of Durham County Constituency
- Colne Valley County Constituency
- Copeland County Constituency
- Halifax Borough Constituency
- Hazel Grove County Constituency
- Hereford County Constituency
- Hexham County Constituency
- Heywood and Middleton County Constituency
- High Peak County Constituency
- Huddersfield Borough Constituency
- Hyndburn Borough Constituency
- Keighley County Constituency
- Lancaster and Wyre County Constituency
- Leominster County Constituency
- Ludlow County Constituency
- Macclesfield County Constituency
- Middlesbrough South ar
d East Cleveland County Constituency - Morecambe and Lunesdale County Constituency
- North Cornwall County Constituency
- North Devon County Constituency
- North East Derbyshire County Constituency
- North Shropshire County Constituency
- North West Durham County Constituency
- Oldham East and Saddleworth County Constituency
- Pendle Borough Constituency
- Penrith and The Border County Constituency
- Pudsey Borough Constituency
- Ribble Valley County Constituency
- Richmond (Yorks) County Constituency
- Rochdale County Constituency
- Rossendale and Darwen Borough Constituency
- Ryedale County Constituency
- Scarborough and Whitby County Constituency
- Sheffield, Hallam County Constituency
- Sheffield, Hillsborough County Constituency
- Shipley County Constituency
- Shrewsbury and Atcham County Constituency
- Skipton and Ripon County Constituency
- South East Cornwall County Constituency
- South West Devon County Constituency
- St. Ives County Constituency
- Staffordshire Moorlands County Constituency
- Stalybridge and Hyde County Constituency
- Stone County Constituency
- Taunton County Constituency
- Teignbridge County Constituency
- Tiverton and Honiton County Constituency
- Torridge and West Devon County Constituency
- Totnes County Constituency
- Truro and St. Austell County Constituency
- Vale of York County Constituency
- Wakefield County Constituency
- West Derbyshire County Constituency
- Westmorland and Lonsdale County Constituency
- Workington County Constituency
§ Mr. WhittingdaleTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what her policy is towards providing assistance to farmers in severely disadvantaged areas following the introduction of the single farm payment. [160493]
§ Alun MichaelEligible farmers in severely disadvantaged areas will receive the single farm payment, and will continue to be eligible for other schemes such as the Hill Farm Allowance and the agri-environment schemes (which are currently being reviewed). The need for assistance to these or other areas will need to be re-examined in the context of the new EU Rural Development Regulation which will come into effect in 2007, and the changing needs of sustainable development in the uplands.
§ Mr. WhittingdaleTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the financial cost would be of restricting single farm payment at the lower rate to farmers in the hill farm allowance area rather than to all farmers in the severely disadvantaged areas.[160494]
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§ Alun MichaelThe aggregate subsidy available for the single farm payment in England is not affected by the definition of the English regions for allocating entitlement.
§ Mr. WhittingdaleTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will rescind her decision to pay single farm payment at a lower rate to all farmers in severely disadvantaged areas; and if she will make a statement. [160495]
§ Alun MichaelMy right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, made her decision in the best interests of the industry as a whole while recognising that there will be individual winners and losers.