Government must live up to promise to cut red tape burden says NFU

Background:

Prime Minister Tony Blair addressed the CBI on Monday where he announced the 'most radical programme of regulatory reform in the world' - worth potentially £2.2Bn in cost-saving to business.

The NFU has already sent a letter to Defra Secretary of State David Miliband highlighting a potential 19 policy areas where regulation could be simplified. It welcomed the stance from Mr Blair but said Government must live up to its promise to deliver cuts to unnecessary regulation.

NFU response:

Head of policy services Andrew Clark said: "Many of the policy areas we have already identified, where regulations could be simplified, are already covered by voluntary initiatives. More should be made of their successes, where farm assurance has demonstrated farmers and growers are operating responsibly.

"We want to see regulation used only where necessary and in ways that incur a minimum cost to our farming members while still remaining effective.

"We are looking for Government to help all business by lightening regulatory burdens across all sectors."