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CLA response to Miliband's Royal Show speech Speaking in response to the speech by Rt Hon David Miliband MP, Secretary of State for DEFRA at the Royal Show (3 July 2006) David Fursdon, president of the Country Land & Business Association (CLA) said: "It was great to hear a new Secretary of State come out with new ideas for new partnerships. It helps a lot that the Secretary of State offered a fulsome apology for the abysmal performance of the RPA.
"Land managers are prepared to rise to the challenge of reducing the ecological footprint of their activities, though we expect the same treatment for all sectors of the economy, and there will have to be big changes in consumer behaviour and in food processing, food service and food distribution too. Mr Miliband set out four steps in his roadmap to profitable and sustainable farming. However the first, and most important, one to provide 'a clear framework of funding and policy' is also the most alarming. This 'clear framework' he referred to is the highly negative 'Vision for the CAP' his predecessor published in December last year. This involved a wholesale slashing of public support for land management. It will be very difficult to deliver his goals for viable businesses, the environment and long-term sustainability of rural communities on the basis of this vision. The new Minister has tempered this with an offer of a 'clear recognition of the potential for farming to support the delivery of public goods' this is helpful, but CLA members will want chapter and verse on this.
"There is helpful rhetoric too on 'backing reform with investment' and 'streamlining regulation'. Great stuff, but these are not new promises, and there is no detail.
"Mr Miliband dwelt on the idea that if farmers took more responsibility and cost of animal disease, then government would offer more say on the disease control mechanisms. The CLA will sit down to discuss this; there are some concrete things Government could do right now to demonstrate the seriousness of their offer of more say on animal disease controls.
"We are impressed with the energy and enthusiasm of the Secretary of State and we want to work with him to introduce some imaginative new ideas, perhaps to bring in money from genuinely new sources to provide the stimulus to help farmers meet new challenges."
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