Defra to cut budget spending by up to 30 per cent over next four years

On Monday morning, the BBC reported that deals had been made by four government departments (the treasury and departments for transport and local government, as well as Defra)

Defra has provisionally agreed to cut its spending by up to 30% over the next four years, along with three other government departments.The four departments were expected to cut by an average of 30% between them. The full affect of the cuts to DEFRA have not yet been agreed.

Defra officials reached an agreement with chancellor george Osborne about the extent of cuts the department will suffer under government austerity plans. Defra already runs on one of the lowest budgets in Whitehall, and manages a number of arms-length bodies.

Cuts to Defra under the coalition government were already amongst the steepest proportional to its initial running costs (30 percent compared to an average of 19 percent across other government departments in 2010, with further cuts inflicted in 2013).

British Veterinary Association President Sean Wensley stated, "In recent years we have already seen the impact of significant cuts to Defra's budget on veterinary fees for TB testing and other OV services and on disease surveillance. Our major concern is that more cuts in these areas could further erode the UK's preparedness for a disease outbreak, which could have massive implications for animal and human health, animal welfare and the reputation of UK agriculture.

"The Defra Secretary of State has repeatedly said that animal health and welfare is a priority so we would urge Defra to protect animal health and welfare budgets relative to other areas of spend and ensure that short-term savings do not lead to serious adverse consequences in the longer term."

The NFU President Meurig Raymond warned that any cuts to the Defra budget must not impact the department’s responsibilities for driving through its food and farming strategy, animal health, flooding and its payment functions.

NFU President Meurig Raymond said: “Our priority is for farming businesses to be productive and profitable and we are concerned that cuts of up to 30 per cent could damage front line delivery services that underpin this aim. That is why we believe that Defra should first seek savings in ‘back office’ functions rather than reducing spending on areas that are key to our members, such as animal health, flood protection and a fully functioning Rural Payments system.

“The NFU also have concerns about cost recovery - if this simply means paying for the continuation of services that could be delivered more effectively and efficiently. We believe that there is scope for some services, including some provided by agencies such as the Environment Agency, to be delivered more cost-effectively by other providers.

“We will now be looking to meet with Ministers and officials as soon as possible to understand how this announcement will impact farmers and growers.”

Organic Farmers & Growers chief executive Roger Kerr says, “We would urge Defra to take considerable care when making cuts, and not to reduce spending on services which could hit farmers’ ability to produce safe, sustainable food.

“With the help of rural development funding, farmers have worked hard in recent years to enhance and protect the environment while producing food, and it’s vital that good work is allowed to continue.

“We know from our experience with organic farm businesses that UK farmers put considerable effort into ensuring they offer benefits to the public while delivering commercial success.

“Our concern is that by cutting day-to-day spending, that delivery of projects which enable famers to do this could be affected, and the industry’s efforts could be reversed.”