'No' to flat-rate hectare based SFP - Allister
10 April 2010
Commenting on reports that the EU Commission is favouring radical change in Single Farm Payments by moving towards a flat-rate payment per hectare, former MEP and TUV Leader Jim Allister has strongly warned against such a move, saying it would devastate the present level of SFP in Northern Ireland.
In a statement Mr Allister said:-
“CAP reform which moves Single Farm Payments onto a one-size-fits-all, flat rate hectare based compilation will not be acceptable and would gravely disadvantage Northern Ireland farmers. The capacity to have the system best tailored to local needs must be retained.
“With English payments already orientated in this way, one of the dangers is that DEFRA, as chief negotiator for all of the UK, will readily fall into line with the latest push in Brussels for this change. Thus battle requires to be waged not just in Brussels on this matter, but also in the House of Commons to ensure that DEFRA does not sell out on the regional needs of the UK. This is a battle we cannot afford to lose.
“CAP reform should be about making things better, not worse. One area where useful reform could be undertaken is in increasing the options for flexibility in response to exceptional losses and conditions. Recently in Northern Ireland, particularly in the sheep sector, we had an example of huge losses incurred because of freak weather conditions. Yet, the CAP, as presently formulated, really has little to offer farmers in that unavoidable situation. Thus building in a contingency capacity to deal with such situations is something worth exploring.
“A CAP moulded in an inflexible straight-jacket will never be able to respond to the unforeseen eventualities which often afflict farming, so taking the opportunity of the reform window to better equip it to cope with such should not be missed.”
