To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of the UK’s budget for the Common Agricultural Policy was paid to farmers; and if he will make a statement. (129478)

[holding answer 23 March 2007]: Total ‘Farm-based scheme’ expenditure, as reflected in the Rural Payment Agency’s (RPA) 2005-06 Resource Account, amounted to £2,293,579,000. Total ‘Trader-based’ expenditure amounted to £313,664,000.

The percentage of farm-based expenditure is, therefore, 87.97 per cent.¹.

These figures are accruals-based and cover England only.

¹Sourced from Notes 5,6 and 7 of RPA’s 2005-06 Resource Account.