To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment his Department has made of the effect of changes in the Common Agricultural Policy on programmes aimed at increasing biodiversity in the UK. (112715)

The reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in June 2003 has reduced the environmental impact of agriculture. This has been achieved by removing an incentive to intensify production and requiring compliance with a range of environmental conditions (cross compliance) which will promote good environmental practice. These changes were implemented in January 2005. A monitoring observatory, the Agriculture Change and Environment Observatory, has been set up and will report on changes to farming practice as a result of CAP reform.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) incentives and (b) support his Department provides for farmers to encourage and enable programmes aimed at protecting and increasing biodiversity in the UK. (112716)

This is a devolved matter. In England, the Department supports farmers to change their farming methods to conserve biodiversity through the Environmental Stewardship (ES) scheme.

In England, over 3.8 million hectares are now covered by ES agreements, with first year payments of more than £142 million already made. We are well on target for achieving 60 per cent. of agricultural land to be covered by ES agreements by next year.

The Higher Level Stewardship scheme will provide additional benefits, particularly for biodiversity action plan priority habitats and species, via a more intensive, but carefully targeted, approach to habitat management.