NFU Cymru Calls on Assembly to Ensure Zero rate of Set-aside

Questions over the value of set aside land in Wales have led NFU Cymru to call on the Welsh Assembly to seek the European Commission's approval that a zero rate is applied to the scheme next year.

The Union has previously argued that set-aside is inconsistent with a decoupled approach to farm support in the context of the CAP Health check, and as such is no longer a justifiable policy. The European farm lobbying organisation, COPA-COGECA, of which the Union is a member, has made representations to the European Commission for the obligatory set-aside rate to be reduced to zero for the 2008 harvest. NFU Cymru is calling for the Welsh Assembly to echo this by making similar representations to the Commission.

NFU Cymru President Dai Davies said, "Inevitably, there will be statements from some corners that set-aside should be retained on environmental grounds, but frankly, now that Single Farm Payment is cross-complied and given that we have agri-environment schemes in Wales, we believe that any benefit is, at best, incidental.

"In the light of these circumstances, we have asked the Welsh Assembly to make representations to the European Commission for a zero-rate of set-aside in 2008 in the hope that we will in any case see its demise as an outcome of the Health check post 2008.

"Cereal growers in Wales and the rest of the UK have suffered from floods whilst severe droughts in other parts of Europe have increased the prospect of more poor harvests this year.

World grain stocks are estimated to be at their lowest for 30 years and the EU harvest is forecast to be down 6m/t this year which will result in a further cut in stocks. Clearly, growers will need to know the European Commission's decision before September so that they can plan their cropping for 2008."