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Deposited Paper HINF 2006/332

Deposited by

Welsh Government

Type

Consultation papers; Deposited papers

Date

11 January 2006

Reference

HINF 2006/332

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial help her Department provides to organic fruit producers. (Failed OPQ).

Asked by

Ian Liddell-Grainger (Conservative)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

18 November 2004

Reference

198968; 426 c1994W;426 c2000W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much has been paid out under (a) Countryside Stewardship, (b) Organic Conversion Scheme, (c) Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme, (d) Woodland Scheme and (e) Moorland and Habitat Scheme in each county in England in 2004; and if she...

Asked by

Paddy Tipping (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

2 November 2004

For answer on

16 November 2004

Answered on

16 November 2004

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much has been paid out under (a) Countryside Stewardship, (b) Organic Conversion Scheme, (c) Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme, (d) Woodland Scheme and (e) Moorland and Habitat Scheme in each county in England in 2004; and if she will make a statement. [196302] Alun Michael: Payments made under these schemes are administered by the Rural Payments Agency. In the current financial year to the end of October, payments made in England totalled: _________________________________________________________________________________________________. £ million Countryside Stewardship Scheme1 28.863 Organic Farming Scheme 4.145 Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme 35.385 Farm Woodland Scheme 1.526 Farm Woodland Premium Scheme 7.067 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. 1 The Moorland and Habitat schemes are closed to new applicants and residual payments are included in the total for Countryside Stewardship The RPA is amending its database to enable expenditure on these schemes to be broken down by county, and I shall write to my hon. Friend with the details he has requested as soon as they are available.

Date

16 November 2004

Reference

196302; 426 c1248-9W;426 c1252-3W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of (a) the potential of the organic farming industry in the UK and (b) the support needed from Government to fulfil its potential. - Inc figures and ref to report on DEFRA website.

Asked by

Andrew George (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

17 September 2004

For answer on

19 October 2004

Answered on

19 October 2004

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of (a) the potential of the organic farming industry in the UK and (b) the support needed from Government to fulfil its potential. [190088] Mr. Bradshaw: The report "Action plan to develop organic food and farming in England--Two Years On, which I launched on 2 August this year, contains an analysis of the market for organic food. The document expects continued growth in sales of organic food. It notes that the area farmed organically in the UK has grown from 30,000 ha in 1993 to 696,000 in 2004. This is an expansion of over 23 times. The level of UK demand for organic food met by UK producers has increased over the last two years from 30 per cent. to 44 per cent., but the report recognises a target of 70 per cent. to be met from UK production by 2010. Our support for organic farming includes enhancements introduced last year to the English Organic Farming scheme to allow farmers who have completed organic conversion to receive payments in return for observing environmental conditions and a new rate of aid for conversion for organic top fruit production (apples, pears etc). For the longer term support for organic farming will be though a specific strand in the Agri--Environment Scheme. Our review of the Organic Farming Scheme was based on a substantial evidence exercise "Evidence Assessment to Inform the Review of the Organic farming Scheme" (ADAS Consulting Limited and the University of Reading, September 2003). This report can be viewed at http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/ evaluation/ofs/default.asp

Date

19 October 2004

Reference

190088; 425 c558-9W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make a statement on the level of financial support in the EU for organic farming. - Inc figures.

Asked by

Lord Barker of Battle (Conservative)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

4 November 2003

For answer on

12 November 2003

Answered on

12 November 2003

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the level of financial support in the EU for organic farming. [137272] Mr. Bradshaw: It is not possible to comment on the direct level of financial support available in other member states since the mix of land types and crops on which aid is based varies so greatly. The latest information we have on aid available elsewhere in the European Union however suggests that the recent increase in support payments being made available under the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS), which is part of the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP) and which encourages the expansion of organic production, is generally comparable to what is available elsewhere in the Community. Under the OFS, farmers moving from conventional to organic farming methods receive financial help during the conversion process. From 30 May, assistance is now also being made available under the scheme for existing organic farmers who comply with certain environmental measures. The following table shows Defra's spending in the financial year 2002-03 on financial and other support for organic farming: £ _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Category of support Total spend 2002-03 Financial support: Under the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) 12,567,000 Other support: Defra funding for the Organic Conversion 301,000 Information Service (OCIS) Defra funding for research for development purposes which includes 1,809,000 a large component dealing with research on organic farming _________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Date

12 November 2003

Reference

137272; 413 c302W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many grants have been given to support organic farming in the UK in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) county and (b) the purpose for which the grant was given. - Inc table.

Asked by

Anthony Steen (Conservative)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

2 June 2003

For answer on

17 June 2003

Answered on

17 June 2003

Mr. Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many grants have been given to support organic farming in the UK in each of the last three years, broken down by (a) county and (b) the purpose for which the grant was given. [116931] Mr. Morley: The table sets out by county in the years concerned the number of agreements with farmers in England in respect of aid under the Organic Farming Scheme to support conversion to organic farming. Aid paid elsewhere in the UK to support organic farming is the responsibility of the devolved Administrations and the Northern Ireland Department. On 5 June 2003, I launched a modified Organic Farming Scheme which offers support to existing organic farmers, in order to encourage the continued management of organic land in an environmentally beneficial way, as well as supporting conversion to organic farming. _________________________________________________________________________________________________. County 2000 2001 2002 Total Avon 29 45 49 123 Bedfordshire 3 7 8 18 Berkshire 8 13 15 36 Buckinghamshire 13 21 26 60 Cambridgeshire 12 23 26 61 Cheshire 31 61 69 161 Cleveland -- 2 2 4 Cornwall 76 118 128 322 Cumbria 27 45 52 124 Derbyshire 27 45 47 119 Devonshire 221 329 364 914 Dorset 67 113 124 304 Durham 5 9 9 23 East Sussex 34 64 71 169 Essex 14 24 28 66 Gloucestershire 56 102 115 273 Greater London -- 1 1 2 Greater Manchester 1 2 3 6 Hampshire 18 37 46 101 Hereford and Worcestershire 79 121 138 338 Hertfordshire 7 8 10 25 Humberside 10 18 22 50 Isle of Wight 2 3 3 8 Kent 33 59 63 155 Lancashire 22 27 30 79 Leicestershire 20 33 35 88 Lincolnshire 41 66 75 182 Merseyside 5 7 8 20 Norfolk 29 50 60 139 North Yorkshire 47 81 86 214 Northamptonshire 10 14 16 40 Northumberland 20 33 45 98 Nottinghamshire 10 15 16 41 Oxfordshire 25 35 43 103 Shropshire 39 67 79 185 Somerset 61 105 120 286 South Yorkshire 6 6 8 20 Staffordshire 27 49 54 130 Suffolk 25 40 45 110 Surrey 6 11 14 31 Tyne and Wear -- -- 1 1 Warwickshire 15 22 25 62 West Midlands 3 3 3 9 West Sussex 16 35 40 91 West Yorkshire 14 18 19 51 Wiltshire 70 126 143 339 Grand Total 1,284 2,113 2,384 5,781 _________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Date

17 June 2003

Reference

116931; 407 c191-2W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had in 2003 with the chairman of the Food Standards Agency on the promotion of organic food; and if she will make a statement on the implementation of the organic action plan. - Includes...

Asked by

Llew Smith (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

10 June 2003

Reference

116797; 406 c727W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assistance is available to farmers who do not use pesticides on their crops; and what proposals she has to encourage non-use of (a) pesticides and (b) other chemicals on crops.

Asked by

Jimmy Wray (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

4 June 2003

Reference

115135; 406 c416-7W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to her Answer of 20th November, Official Report, column 166W, on organic farming schemes, if she will list the beneficiaries under the Organic Farming Scheme and the Organic Aid Scheme as a proportion of the total number...

Asked by

Andrew George (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

29 November 2002

For answer on

10 December 2002

Answered on

10 December 2002

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her answer of 20 November 2002, Official Report, column 166W, on organic farming schemes, if she will list the beneficiaries under the Organic Farming Scheme and the Organic Aid Scheme as a proportion of the total number of (a) farms and (b) farmers, broken down by region. [85344] Mr. Meacher: [holding answer 3 December 2002]: Information on the Organic Farming Scheme and the Organic Aid Scheme is held by beneficiary. The latest numbers that we have by beneficiary are as at November 2002 and are as follows: _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Region Total East Midlands 178 Eastern 160 London 1 North East 51 North West 149 South East 285 South West 873 West Midlands 256 Yorks/Humber 120 Grand Total 2,073 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. The latest information that we have for the total numbers of (a) holdings and (b) farmers is taken from the June 2001 Agricultural and Horticultural Census. The figures show the total holdings and total full and part-time farmers, partners, directors and spouses if working on the holding. _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Region Total holdings Total East Midlands Total holdings 19,095 Farmers, partners, directors and spouses 25,433 Eastern Total holdings 21,054 Farmers, partners, directors and spouses 27,325 London Total holdings 434 Farmers, partners, directors and spouses 543 North East Total holdings 6,073 Farmers, partners, directors and spouses 8,598 North West Total holdings 21,048 Farmers, partners, directors and spouses 28,682 South East Total holdings 22,461 Farmers, partners, directors and spouses 27,673 South West Total holdings 44,861 Farmers, partners, directors and spouses 57,218 West Midlands Total holdings 23,247 Farmers, partners, directors and spouses 31,076 Yorks/Humbs Total holdings 19,661 Farmers, partners, directors and spouses 27,280 Grant Total Total holdings 177,934 Farmers, partners, directors and spouses 233,828 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Note: Spouses are included only if working on the holdings

Date

10 December 2002

Reference

85344; 396 c195-6W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many funding schemes are available through her Department for farmers who wish to adopt environmentally friendly farming practices; and how much is available per scheme. - Including figures. (Holding answer 20 November 2002).

Asked by

Andrew George (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

25 November 2002

Reference

81150; 395 c48W

House

House of Commons

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) farmers and (b) farms are involved in the organic farming schemes, broken down by region. - Inc table.

Asked by

Andrew George (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

13 November 2002

For answer on

20 November 2002

Answered on

20 November 2002

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) farmers and (b) farms are involved in the organic farming schemes, broken down by region. [81148] Mr. Meacher: Information is held by beneficiary. The number of beneficiaries under the Organic Farming Scheme and the Organic Aid Scheme by region is as follows: _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Region Total East Midlands 178 Eastern 160 London 1 North East 51 North West 149 South East 285 South West 873 West Midlands 256 Yorks/Humber 120 Grand total 2,073 _________________________________________________________________________________________________.

Date

20 November 2002

Reference

394 c166W;394 c164W; 81148

House

House of Commons

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding schemes are available for organic farming; and how much is available in each scheme. - Inc table and figures.

Asked by

Andrew George (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

13 November 2002

For answer on

20 November 2002

Answered on

20 November 2002

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what funding schemes are available for organic farming; and how much is available in each scheme. [81149] Mr. Meacher: Support for farmers converting to organic farming is currently available under the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) which is part of the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP). Subject to the agreement of the European Commission, as set out in the Action Plan to Develop Organic Food and Farming in England, from 2003 we intend to extend aid to farmers who have completed conversion. The budgets for the OFS from this year to the end of the life of the ERDP is as follows. _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Year £ million 2002 20 2003 22 2004 22 2005 23 2006 23 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. We also provide other support, for example through the Department's research and development programme, which includes a large component dealing with research on organic farming, and through the provision of free advice to prospective organic farmers by the Organic Conversion Information Service (OCIS). Spending on organic R&D is expected to be just over £2 million and expenditure on OCIS around £350,000 in the current financial year.

Date

20 November 2002

Reference

394 c166W;394 c164W; 81149

House

House of Commons

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much land was covered by the major agri-environment schemes in (a) 1990, (b) 1995, (c) 1997, (d) 1998, (e) 1999, (f) 2000 and (g) 2001; and if she will make a statement. - Inc table.

Asked by

David Laws (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

8 July 2002

For answer on

11 July 2002

Answered on

11 July 2002

Mr. Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much land was covered by the major agri-environment schemes in (a) 1990, (b) 1995, (c) 1997, (d) 1998, (e) 1999, (f) 2000 and (g) 2001; and if she will make a statement. [69157] Mr. Morley: Details for the Environmentally Sensitive Areas, the Countryside Stewardship and the Organic Farming Schemes are set out in the table in hectares. The area of land under these schemes continues to increase. The Government are firmly committed to agri- environment schemes, and a significant increase of funding was announced in 2000 at the beginning of the England Rural Development Programme. _________________________________________________________________________________________________. ESA CSS OFS 1990 111,550 -- -- 1995 424,567 {1}90,900 2,118 1997 469,121 118,300 6,130 1998 501,255 139,900 10,683 1999 523,545 192,100 16,095 2000 531,900 263,300 {2}115,387 2001 579,204 {2}333,300 {2}112,832 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. {1} Total for 1991-95 when the scheme was operated by the then Countryside Commission. The former MAFF assumed responsibility for the scheme in 1996. {2} Provisional estimates. Note: Organic Aid Scheme operated until 1999 when it became the Organic Farming Scheme.

Date

11 July 2002

Reference

388 c1130W; 69157

House

House of Commons

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial support there is for farmers who grow organic crops; and if she will make a statement on organic farming. - Inc figures.

Asked by

Jimmy Wray (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

10 December 2001

For answer on

18 December 2001

Answered on

18 December 2001

Mr. Wray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial support there is for farmers who grow organic crops; and if she will make a statement on organic farming. [22864] Mr. Morley: Support for organic farmers in England is provided in the main through the Organic Farming Scheme, which offers payments to farmer over a period of five years totalling from £50 to £450 per hectare according to land type. Supplementary payments totalling £600 per beneficiary are made towards the cost of training. The budget for this year's payments is £18 million, rising to £20 million in the next financial year. Direct payments to organic farmers in other regions of the UK are a matter for the devolved Administrations. Organic farmers are also entitled to other payments under the common agricultural policy in the same way as their conventional counterparts. In addition, the Department's Research and Development programme includes a large component dealing with research on organic farming. And there is a programme of free, on-farm advice to prospective organic farmers. We wish organic farming to succeed and to this end have already committed £140 million under the England Rural Development Programme which should triple the organic farming area by 2006. To build on this, we intend to product a strategy for the future direction of organic farming when we have the report of the Commission on the Future of Farming and Food, taking account of any recommendations made by the Commission for this sector. The strategy will assess potential growth both for UK production and for the organic market, and will need to take account of the large variation between different products.

Date

18 December 2001

Reference

377 c279-80W; 22864

House

House of Commons

Dept for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what financial help she gives to farmers who wish to switch to organic production. - Includes figures.

Asked by

Tom Cox (Labour)

Answering body

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Tabled on

30 October 2001

For answer on

9 November 2001

Answered on

9 November 2001

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial help she gives to farmers who wish to switch to organic production. [12078] Mr. Morley: Aid is available under the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS), which is part of the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP), to help farmers convert to organic farming. £140 million has been committed to funding the OFS over the life of the ERDP. Aid under the OFS is paid over five years according to the category of land being converted. The rates of aid are as follows: £ per hectare _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Land eligible for arable area Other improved land Unimproved land payments and land in permanent crops Year 1 225 175 25 Year 2 135 105 10 Year 3 50 40 5 Year 4 20 15 5 Year 5 20 15 5 Total 450 350 50 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. In addition, each organic unit being converted under the OFS is eligible for payments totalling £600 towards the initial cost of advice and training. As well as financial assistance for conversion, we also provide other support, for example, through the Department's R and D programme, which includes a large component dealing with research on organic farming, and through the provision of free advice to prospective organic farmers by the Organic Conversion Information Service (OCIS).

Date

9 November 2001

Reference

374 c447W; 12078

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, how many farmers have made applications for funds from the organic farming scheme; and how many of those applications have been successful in each phase of the scheme since it began. - Figures given.

Asked by

Colin Breed (Liberal Democrat)

Answering body

Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

10 April 2001

Reference

157161; 366 c585-6W

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, What representations he has received concerning an organic stewardship scheme. (Failed OPQ). (Answer not printed in Bound Volume).

Asked by

Betty Williams (Labour)

Answering body

Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food

Type

Written questions

Status

Answered

Date

8 March 2001

Reference

364 c338W; 151400

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food

1st supplementary on delays in receiving certificates from the Organic Trade Association.

Asked by

Diana Organ (Labour)

Oral questions - 1st Supplementary

Status

Answered

Date

1 February 2001

Reference

362 c425

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food

Answered by

Elliot Morley (Labour)

Type

Oral answers to questions

Date

1 February 2001

Reference

362 c425

House

House of Commons

Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food

To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, What the Government`s budget is for research and development into organic farming; and what it was in 1997. - Including figures.

Asked by

Diana Organ (Labour)

Oral questions - Lead

Status

Answered

Date

1 February 2001

Reference

362 c425; 146777

House

House of Commons

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