Assembly rects to NFU calls for support

NFU Cymru has welcomed the fact that the Welsh Assembly Government has directly acted upon its request to support Welsh farmers who are clearly struggling at the moment to meet the demands of cross compliance and agri-environment schemes as a result of the restrictions placed upon them by Foot and Mouth.

Dai Davies, NFU Cymru President said, "We are pleased the Minister for Rural Affairs, Elin Jones, has listened to our request and taken our advice on board and as a result has given some leeway to farmers in agri-environment agreements and in relation to cross-compliance."

Foot and Mouth disease restrictions are causing farms, subject to an agri-environment agreement, to have difficulty in complying with their management requirements. It is therefore now possible to ask for a derogation to allow the normal rules of the scheme to be suspended or amended to try and overcome any difficulties farmers may be facing. Farmers wishing for a derogation should first contact their Project Officer.

Also, under the current Foot and Mouth restrictions, the Welsh Assembly Government has decided that any non-compliance with an agri-environment agreement that is a direct consequence of the restrictions on movements of stock will not be regarded as a breach of that agreement. Payments will not be affected in such circumstances.

In relation to cross compliance, farmers are expected to take all realistic actions to meet the appropriate standards and requirements. If farmers are unable to meet any of these however because of the Foot and Mouth restrictions they will not normally be liable for sanctions under this regime. However, in terms of some standards e.g. Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) D – Supplementary feeding, farmers must record any damage in their Soil Assessment Booklet and follow up with the appropriate remedial action in due course.

Mr Davies concluded, "It is absolutely vital that we continue to update our members on all developments, so I urge all NFU Cymru members to sign up to our free e-mail service to ensure that they have t