Presidents Stephen James, NFU Cymru; Ian Marshall, Ulster Farmers’ Union; Meurig Raymond, National Farmers’ Union and Allan Bowie, NFU Scotland are calling on UK administrations not to penalise farmers who make honest mistakes because of a lack of clarity over the new payment scheme rules.
Presidents of UFU, NFU and NFU Scotland are also calling on their agriculture departments to follow suit of Welsh Government, who plan on making part-payments to all claimants if necessary.
“We find ourselves in a unique set of circumstances this year, with the introduction of the new and very complex requirements under the reformed CAP. There are many elements that have changed completely from the previous CAP and there are still significant requirements, many relating to greening, that need to be clarified or confirmed. The slow progress and lack of clarity is causing confusion on the ground and many farmers are being forced to make business decisions or fill in their direct payment application forms with limited information. In addition to this, the whole greening regime is up for review in 2017, which could mean further changes to contend with.
“It is clear from our discussions, that there are implementation problems right across the four regions. In recognition of where we are with the CAP we are urging the UK administrations not to penalise those applicants who have made every attempt to comply with the requirements but find themselves caught out by the detail.
“These are exceptional circumstances we are facing as a result of the changes under the new CAP, and we are expecting that our respective UK government administrations ensure that the facilities are in place in each region, like Welsh Government have already signalled it will do for Welsh farmers, to issue part-payments to all claimants if this is necessary, although early payment in full is our major objective.
"We understand that the government departments are under pressure and are grappling with the complexities of the new CAP as well, however, it will be to detriment of the agri-food industry across the UK if farmers face long delays in receiving direct payments as a result of government failure to process applications in a timely manner.”
Following the UK Officeholder meeting, the Presidents attended an Ulster Farmers’ Union reception where the EU Commissioner, Phil Hogan, was guest speaker. NFU Cymru President, Stephen James, added, “The opportunity to meet with our colleagues from across the UK is incredibly useful. It gives us an opportunity to not only compare notes but also agree on joint lobbying strategy to take forward at a European level and also with our own Governments.
“The opportunity to once again hear directly from and speak with the European Agricultural Commissioner, Phil Hogan, regarding his plans for simplifying the CAP, and his views on the future of milk quotas among other things was most welcome. It is heartening to hear a Commissioner who genuinely listens to our concerns and we look forward to working with him on his simplification agenda in the coming months.”
