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Biofuels: South West Region

Volume 463: debated on Thursday 19 July 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the changes to the use of land in South West England in the last five years; and what estimate he has made of the change in the amount of land used for energy bio-crops. (149663)

The following table shows agricultural land use in South West England in the last five years.

Arable

Other arable

Set aside

Grass

Woodland

Horticulture

Rough grazing

2006

29,3987

9,354

57,764

1,148,977

69,882

11,809

90,826

2005

29,7628

7,234

62,324

1,104,922

66,965

12,549

90,117

2004

32,0963

5,084

65,110

1,077,265

62,684

11,781

94,706

2003

31,2656

4,168

75,537

1,072,491

59,886

12,907

91,538

2002

33,6270

3,343

66,997

1,027,766

59,922

12,669

98,505

The next table shows the amount of land used to produce bio-energy crops in the South West of England in the last five years. The land represented in this table has been used to grow short rotation coppice and miscanthus under the energy crops scheme and oil seed rape under the EU energy aid payment scheme.

Land (hectares)

2006

2,396.82

2005

1,631.44

2004

84.41

2003

0

2002

0

In addition to these figures there has been 158 hectares of miscanthus planted in the region under the European Objective One programme which ran from 2000 to 2006. Unfortunately a yearly breakdown of this figure is not available.