Professional AdviceYou are here : News and Press » News Archive » Government » Defra
|
English farmers paying the price for government incompetence - again A part payment to farmers in England has been announced by the Defra Secretary of State David Miliband who said SPS claimants will receive at least 50 per cent of their payments by the end of February. But NFU President Peter Kendall, President of the Country Land and Business Association David Fursdon, and Reg Haydon, national chairman of the Tenant Farmers' Association, fear it is too little too late for many farmers and say the rural economy is continuing to pay the price for Government incompetence.
In a joint statement the NFU, CLA and TFA said: "This confirms our worst fears about the ability of the RPA to deliver 2006 single payments. We have strongly argued for a part payment and for a clear timetable, so to that extent, we are relieved David Miliband has listened to our case.
"However this still leaves much of the industry in financial difficulties and we are very disappointed the payment is less and later than we wanted. We do recognise ministers' determination not to make promises they cannot keep, but we sincerely hope this really is the worst case scenario and in practice more than 50 per cent will be paid earlier than the end of February."
The three organisations are continuing to urge the RPA to improve its performance, but additional accounting complications this year mean fines for making incorrect payments without all due checks and processes will result in Defra being fined rather than central government.
The NFU, CLA and TFA said: "This is an unfair double hit on the rural community. First, the single payment is paid late, affecting not only farmers but dependent businesses and the wider rural community. Then Defra's budget is cut to the tune of £200m, which impacts on vital issues like flood defence, land drainage, animal health and the environment.
"Since David Miliband has been at Defra we have welcomed his assurances that he will do everything to ensure fair terms of competition for our farmers. We recognise he is a victim of the system he inherited. However we need to be assured the lessons of the past have been learned. We are all acutely aware these problems could cause on-going delays in payments into 2008 and we have asked Defra to share a detailed action plan with us to ensure this is the last year we suffer from this kind of blatant disadvantage to our industry."
|
Contact Media Contacts Ollie Wilson T: 020 7460 7936
T: 020 7460 7934
Join the CLA today
The CLA Game Fair 2012
More articles and documents [News Archive] [4 January 2012] Defra : a new department : a new agenda [Consultation response archive] [9 January 2003] |
- Policy Topics
- Policy Topics
- Site sections
- Specially for members
© 2012 Country Land and Business Association Limited (CLA). All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without prior written permission of the copyright holder except as expressly permitted by law.
Disclaimer
No responsibility for loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action in reliance on or as a result of the material included in or omitted in this website can be or is accepted by the author(s), the CLA or its officers or trustees or employees or any other persons.
The Advisory Services are made available to members on the basis that members' rights to compensation and the liability (if any) of CLA and its officers and/or its staff advisers, are restricted in the following ways. In the event of any advice given by any CLA staff adviser being given negligently or otherwise being incorrect no liability whatsoever is accepted by the CLA or its officers or by its staff advisers concerned
(a) towards any person who is not the current CLA member to whom the advice was directly given,
(b) to any person in the respect of consequential loss or loss of profits, or
(c) to any person for any sum exceeding £50,000 in respect of any one enquiry (whether made or responded to orally or in writing and whether dealt with at one time or over a period of time).
Any person making use of the Advisory Services accepts such restrictions. Members should refer to appropriate professional advisers in private practice before taking any particular course of action potentially or actually involving any substantial amounts of money.
Please note that whilst the advisers are able to advise on a wide range of subjects relating to land ownership, they cannot act in place of a member's own solicitor, accountant, surveyor and tax specialist by, for example, drafting documents or corresponding on their behalf and may be precluded, by the rules of their own professions, from advising one CLA member against another CLA member in the case of conflict.
Solicitors Indemnity Fund . Solicitors in the CLA Legal Team are not covered by the Solicitors Indemnity Fund in relation to professional negligence in relation to any advice given by them.
Please note that from time to time telephone calls maybe recorded for training purposes.