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Agricultural Support

Volume 451: debated on Monday 6 November 2006

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent on European support payments to farmers in each of the last five years. (98702)

[holding answer 2 November 2006]: The following table shows payments made through CAP schemes and Rural Development Programmes to farmers in the United Kingdom for the period 2001 to 2005 as recorded in the production and income account of the economic account for agriculture. They exclude payments made through the Over Thirty Month Scheme, compensation for losses due to animal disease and capital transfers. The proportion of EU funding for each scheme is shown in the right hand column.

Direct payments made through CAP schemes and rural development programmes to farmers in the United Kingdom1

£ million

Calendar years

2001

2002

2003

2004

20052

EU funding (percentage)

Crop subsidies

Arable Area payments (except set-aside)

827

875

924

901

0

100

Arable Area Payments on set-aside

180

143

177

129

100

Other crop subsidies3

3

2

3

12

11

100

Livestock subsidies

100

Beef Special Premium4

241

236

238

266

100

Suckler Cow Premium4

219

204

208

230

100

Slaughter Premium

76

133

136

156

100

Extensification Payment Scheme

118

137

145

154

100

Beef National Envelope

19

34

34

36

100

Scottish Beef Calf Scheme

20

100

Sheep Annual Premium

181

264

276

300

100

Sheep National Envelope

10

10

17

100

Dairy subsidies5

79

108

100

Single Payment Scheme

2375

100

Rural Development Programmes:

Less favoured areas support schemes6

165

165

163

153

144

Agri-environment schemes:

Countryside Stewardship and

Schemes that are part of Rural Development Programmes are partly EU funded. Funding may be up to 50 per cent. depending on the national contribution to the scheme7.

Arable Stewardship Schemes

43

59

71

104

114

7

Countryside Premium and Rural Stewardship Schemes

9

9

13

11

10

7

Tir Cymen and Tir Gofal

10

13

17

21

24

7

Countryside Management Scheme

1

3

3

6

3

7

Organic Aid and Organic Farming Schemes

18

22

21

14

10

7

Environmentally Sensitive Areas Scheme

70

73

81

82

79

7

Nitrate Sensitive Areas Scheme

2

2

7

Other8

3

3

4

3

3

7

1 Shows payments after deduction for modulation where appropriate.

2 Provisional.

3 CAP hops and herbage seeds support; hemp and flax aid; oilseed rape and linseed support; protein crop premium; area aid for nuts; energy crops aid.

4 Includes extensification premium and deseasonalisation premium.

5 Includes agri-monetary compensation; dairy premium and additional dairy premium.

6 Tir Mynydd in Wales, Less Favoured Area Compensatory Allowance Scheme in Northern Ireland, Less Favoured Areas Support Scheme in Scotland and Hill Farm Allowance in England.

7 As shown in the table.

8 Includes Moorland, Habitat and Countryside Access Farming schemes; Entry Level Pilot Scheme.