§ David MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what extra subsidy schemes severely disadvantaged area farmers may apply for. [169078]
§ Alun MichaelI refer the right hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Malden and East Chelmsford (Mr. Whittingdale) on 17 March 2004,Official Report, column 271W.
1494W
§ David MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what headage of livestock is registered in Cumbria. [169079]
§ Alun MichaelThe total livestock figures for Cumbria, according to the latest available census returns, are as follows:
Number Cattle and calves 446,241 Pigs 31,875 Sheep and lambs 1,951,139 Goats 1,620 Horses 5,163 Deer 493 Poultry 2,392,240 Source: June 2003 Agricultural Census
§ David MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many farms there are in Cumbria [169095]
§ Alun MichaelThe number of registered agricultural holdings in Cumbria was 7,969 at the 19 April 2004.
The number of holdings in Cumbria as at the June 2003 Census was 7,849.
Source:
Farm Survey System 19/4/04, June Agricultural Census 2003.
§ David MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether Cumbrian farmers will be subject to different cross-compliance measures from Scottish farmers. [169097]
§ Alun MichaelAgriculture is a devolved matter, allowing the Scottish Executive to tailor policies where appropriate and permitted under the relevant regulations.
Currently there are public consultations on possible cross-compliance measures in England and Scotland. Officials continue to work closely in the design and implementation of CAP reform policies, including cross-compliance, to develop complementary measures wherever possible.
§ David MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether farmers in severely disadvantaged areas in Cumbria will be subject to different cross-compliance measures from farmers not in severely disadvantaged areas in Cumbria. [169098]
§ Alun MichaelDefra launched its consultation on proposed and possible measures for implementation of cross-compliance in England on 29 March 2004. Final decisions on cross-compliance will be taken after careful consideration of responses.
§ David MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the average difference in payments between 2005 and 2013 will be for farmers(a) in severely disadvantaged areas, (b) not in severely disadvantaged areas and (c) in Scotland. [169099]
1495W
§ Alun MichaelUnder the flat-rate system for allocating Single Farm Payment entitlement in England, the mean payment rate within each region will be similar between 2005 and 2013 even though individual payment rates will change during this transition. In Scotland, under the historic approach, both the mean and individual payment rates will change little over time. In both countries, however, some variation may arise from year to year due to movements in the prevailing exchange rate used to convert from euros and different rates of deduction for the national reserve, modulation and financial discipline.
§ David MacleanTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what effect the lower rate severely disadvantaged areas allowance will have on numbers of livestock in Cumbria. [169101]
§ Alun MichaelFrom 2005 decoupling will break the link between subsidy and production in the UK and cause farmers to reassess their farming operation and production decisions. Decoupling is not affected by the method chosen for allocating entitlement to the Single Farm Payment. The impact of decoupling on production patterns and livestock numbers is very difficult to assess. There are several studies on the Defra website that examine this at the UK level but there are no assessments by county.
§ Mr. WhittingdaleTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what differences in cross-compliance requirements will exist between farms in different regions in England; [168034]
(2) what differences in cross-compliance requirements will exist between farms in severely disadvantaged areas and non-severely disadvantaged areas. [168035]
§ Alun MichaelDefra launched its consultation on proposed and possible measures for implementation of cross compliance in England on 29 March 2004. Decisions on cross compliance will not be determined until all responses have been considered carefully.