Single payment meetings for West Midlands farmers and Growers

A series of meetings are being organised by NFU West Midlands to guide farmers and growers through the application process for the 2006 Single Payment Scheme.

The deadline for applications for the 2006 scheme is May 15 and the NFU West Midlands policy team is hoping to help make the process as painless as possible for local farmers.

NFU West Midlands senior policy adviser Andrew Richards said that delays in the government paying the money due from last year's scheme were likely to make the process more complicated.

"One of the major problems that farmers are facing as a result of the delays is that how the 2006 scheme is calculated depends on data from the 2005 scheme," said Mr Richards.

"If that data is not available, farmers can be penalised so this emphasises the importance of the government making the 2005 payments as soon as possible.

"We are hoping to use these meetings to identify where the problems are most acute and to help our members provide the government with the best possible information relating to their claim to enable the 2006 scheme to operate as efficiently as possible."

The meetings will take place at the Wroxeter Hotel, near Shrewsbury, on April 11, at the Swallow Stonehouse Hotel near Stone on April 12, at the Corus Hotel, Honiley, near Warwick, also on April 12, at the YFC Centre, Hawford, near Worcester, on April 20, and at the Three Counties Hotel, Hereford, on April 27.

All meetings will start at 7.30pm and all NFU members are welcome. Andrew Richards will be on hand to give advice at the Shropshire, Staffordshire and Worcestershire meetings and NFU West Midlands policy adviser Charlie Morton will be at the Warwickshire and Herefordshire meetings.