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Written question asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat) on Wednesday, 16 March 2016, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Friday, 1 April 2016. It was answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble (Conservative) on Wednesday, 30 March 2016 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Agriculture: Forestry

Question

To ask Her Majesty’s Government what practical examples of agroforestry have been visited by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs staff in England, and what assessment they have made of whether, in the light of the fact that Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have recently included agroforestry options into their rural development schemes, doing so would be an effective measure for England.

Answer

Officials from Defra and Natural England have recently visited an example of agro-forestry near Peterborough funded in part from organic and agri-environment measures in Environmental Stewardship.

This was a very positive and valuable visit. Officials will be exploring the evidence base for agro-forestry and how this measure might operate in practice within the Rural Development Programme. However, the budget for Pillar 2 is finite and funding agro-forestry may have opportunity costs for other measures.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL7070
Session
2015-16
Subjects
Agriculture Forestry Subsidies
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk