Allister raises single farm payment issue in Strasbourg
13 February 2006
Following on from his representations to Commissioner Fischer-Boel and meeting with DARD on the crisis faced by several farmers in Northern Ireland because of the withholding of Single Farm Payments, DUP MEP Jim Allister today raised the issue of “duplicate field” applications on the floor of the European Parliament.
Mr Allister explained Single Farm Payments were introduced as necessary to complete the shift from production support to producer support, with a view to ensuring a fair standard of living for the agricultural community. Without them many farm incomes would be negative. I am therefore greatly concerned by the threat posed to about 2500 applicants in Northern Ireland because of the response to errors in their acreage claims.
In the course of his remarks the MEP said “in Northern Ireland in the agricultural sector we have a high preponderance of conacre lettings, whereby land is rented by an active farmer for 10 month per annum from an inactive landowner. Under Regulation 1782/2003, as being implemented, the landowner and active farmer cannot share the Single Farm Payment relating to that land. In consequence duplicate claims have resulted for the same land by both tenant and owner. Now both face the penalty of non-payment. Confusion and error, rather than fraud, is the predominant cause. The threatened withholding of the entire Single Farm Payment is wholly disproportionate and potentially ruinous for many. I, therefore, call on the Commission to sanction an approach capable of delivering a solution and securing the purpose of Single Farm Payments, namely a fair standard of living for farmers”.
Commenting Mr Allister said the easiest solution would be to permit withdrawal of fields wrongly included with payment out proceeding, without penalty, on the remainder.
