Independent Animal health body is all about money

The Tenant Farmers Association has had it confirmed by a DEFRA Minister that the primary purpose behind the Government’s plan to create an Independent Body for Animal Health is to take more money from the livestock industry.

In a meeting with Junior DEFRA Minister Jim Fitzpatrick MP attended by the TFA and the National Beef Association yesterday (30 November 2009), the Minister repeatedly defended the Government’s policy on the grounds that he expected the industry to pay more for animal health policy.

TFA National Chairman Greg Bliss said "This meeting followed up a letter written in June to DEFRA Secretary of State Hilary Benn by six Industry organisations opposing the Government’s plans for the independent body and supporting the current system of industry engagement through core disease control and stakeholder groups. We challenged the Minister to identify what extra benefit will be produced by a move to an independent body. He failed to identify any benefits beyond the Government’s ability to get the industry to take over some of the Government’s costs for running animal health."

"The Minister repeatedly used the phrase ’the user must pay’ to justify the Government’s policy. When we pointed out that the industry is already paying as much on animal health as the Government on an annual basis and when it comes to a disease outbreak the industry ends up paying more, Mr Fitzpatrick said he did not accept that the industry was bearing its fair share and should be paying more. He also said that all Political Parties shared the same view. Whilst he accepted that there are also wider benefits to the nation as a whole he still insisted that the industry must pay more," said Mr Bliss.

"The TFA has always said that the Government’s policy had more to do with raising money than finding a better basis for the co-ordination of animal health policy which has been the Governments spin on this issue to date. Now at least we have a Government Minister who is honest enough to say so. The industry needs to make sure that Rosemary Radcliffe’s appointed committee are aware that asking the industry to pay more for an animal health policy is not the best solution," said Mr Bliss.