Agricultural land (FOI)

​Request

Farming in Jersey
A

For the years, 2016 to date, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012 please state:

a) For each Island parish, the number of planning permissions granted by the Minister under the Planning (Jersey) Law 2002 for a change of use from agricultural use to equine grazing (whether permanent or temporary).

b) For each Island parish, the number of planning permissions granted by the Minister under the Planning (Jersey) Law 2002 for a change of use from agricultural use to domestic curtilage.

c) For each Island parish, the number of planning permissions granted by the Minister under the Planning (Jersey) Law 2002 for a change of use from agricultural use to a use other than agriculture (eg housing).

d) In respect of the answer to (a) above, please state for each year requested (or part year for 2016) the total number of vergées for which new equine grazing consent was granted.

e) In respect of each of (a), (b) and (c) please state the total number of vergées "lost" to agriculture (through change of use) for each of the years requested.

B

Please identify for each of 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015 the total yields of the three largest crops (by tonnage) grown on the Island.

C

Please state whether a report has been produced and is available to the public on the impact of eelworm disease to the Island's potato crop and a strategy for dealing with any significant outbreak of the disease.

Response

A

a) None, applications for a change in the permitted use (whether permanent or temporary) from full agricultural conditions, (a) and (b) (see below), to a (b) condition which permits equine grazing, falls under the Agricultural Land (Control of Sales and Leases) (Jersey) Law 1974. The table below sets out the transactions for the change of use from 2012 to 2016 to date.

Conditions:

(i) that [<>], shall not, without the consent of the Planning and Environment Minister, be occupied by anyone other than a bona fide inhabitant of the Island specifically approved by the Minister who is wholly or mainly engaged in work of an agricultural nature in Jersey for his own benefit and profit;

(ii) that [<>] is used for agricultural or horticultural purposes only; this excludes the grazing of equine animals and the growing of trees without the written consent of the Minister for Planning and Environment.

New (b) conditioned and equine only licenced land (in vergées) by parish and year.

b) We estimate that it will take us in excess of 12.5 working hours to determine appropriate material and to locate, retrieve and extract the information in reference to this part of your request. This part of your request, therefore, will not be processed further.

Regulation 2 (1) of the Freedom of Information (Costs) (Jersey) Regulations 2014 allows an authority to refuse a request for information where the estimated cost of dealing with the request would exceed the specified amount of the cost limit of £500. This is the estimated cost of one person spending 12.5 working hours in determining whether the department holds the information, locating, retrieving and extracting the information.

c) We estimate that it will take us in excess of 12.5 working hours to determine appropriate material and to locate, retrieve and extract the information in reference to this part of your request. This part of your request, therefore, will not be processed further.

Regulation 2 (1) of the Freedom of Information (Costs) (Jersey) Regulations 2014 allows an authority to refuse a request for information where the estimated cost of dealing with the request would exceed the specified amount of the cost limit of £500. This is the estimated cost of one person spending 12.5 working hours in determining whether the department holds the information, locating, retrieving and extracting the information.

d) The table below sets out the total number of vergées (vg) for which new equine grazing consent has been granted to date:

e) With regards to (a) none, as the field is still agricultural and the conditions can be changed according to the circumstances pertaining at the time of transaction. In addition, the following table highlights the number of vergées (vg) which had full agricultural conditions attached to them. As will be seen there is a net 'gain' of agricultural land, for example, more land became subject to full agricultural conditions.

With regards to (b) and (c) we estimate that it will take us in excess of 12.5 working hours to determine appropriate material and to locate, retrieve and extract the information in reference to this part of your request. This part of your request, therefore, will not be processed further.

Regulation 2 (1) of the Freedom of Information (Costs) (Jersey) Regulations 2014 allows an authority to refuse a request for information where the estimated cost of dealing with the request would exceed the specified amount of the cost limit of £500. This is the estimated cost of one person spending 12.5 working hours in determining whether the department holds the information, locating, retrieving and extracting the information.

B

Information regarding crop areas and tonnage exported can be found in the annual Agricultural Statistics Report available on the States of Jersey website.

Download Rural Economy - Agricultural Statistics Report 2014 (size 2mb)

Information for the year 2015 will be published in September or October this year. Information is not recorded for individual crop yields.

C

Potato Cyst Nematode (Eelworm or PCN) is a nematode pest not a disease. The Plant Health Section of the Department of the Environment produces a graph annually showing the percentages of fields infected with potato cyst nematodes in category 1, 2, 3 and 4. Category 1 indicates no PCN are found through to category 4 where PCN numbers are extremely high. These are presented to the potato industry and are available to the public on request.

The data does not provide an entire picture as some growers sample and analyse land in other laboratories and this data is not shared with the department. Click below for a copy of the latest graph:

Download PCN categories graph (size 73kb)

The Department of the Environment’s long-term strategy to limit PCN is as follows:

• Free advice, techniques and ‘new thinking’ extension available for the Plant Health Section of the Department of the Environment.

• Annual analysis of fields to determine PCN population:

• category 1 fields (no PCN present) and category 2 fields do not require nematicides.

• category 3 fields will require nematicides if a potato crop is to be grown.

• category 4 fields should not be cropped so that PCN populations decrease naturally in the absence of the host on which they feed and multiply.

• further control of PCN should be complemented via cultural methods such as:

• early lifting
• rotation
• removal of crop debris
• trap cropping
• organic manure amendments
• strict volunteer control
• ensure equipment is free of soil contamination

Research: the department has carried out, and continues to carry out, research into PCN control methods such as the use of Solanum Sisymbriifolium (a trap crop) and alternative methods will reduce PCN populations.

Recommendations emerging from research are regularly presented to the potato industry and other interested stakeholders via publications, workshops, training events and meetings with individual growers.

The department will pursue an ‘alternative crops’ agenda as part of the Rural Economy Strategy 2017 to 2021, attempting to identify high value, low volume export crops that would complement the dairy and potato industry whilst providing an opportunity for improved potato rotations thus reducing PCN populations.