Voluntary modulation debate will delay rural development funding to UK farmers
01 November 2006
Jim Allister MEP believes that very few other countries, apart from the UK, will choose to apply additional voluntary modulation to Single Farm Payments in order to fund their rural development programmes. This will result in no delays for the majority of other Member Sates in commencing their 2007-2013 Rural Development programme.
Speaking in the European Parliament on the issue Jim Allister commented, “I am opposed to the current concept of voluntary modulation as it will create disparities between different regions in Europe. I fear that countries like the UK, who are proposing to use voluntary modulation, will place their farmers at greater disadvantage to other countries who are not removing additional voluntary modulation from single farm payments. Not only will UK farmers have a greater percentage of funding removed from their Single Farm Payments via voluntary modulation, in 2007 there is likely to be a delay in getting rural development funds paid to the rural community.”
Jim Allister has continued to press for each of the different regions within the UK to choose whether they wish to use additional voluntary modulation or not. “I believe that it is best for Northern Ireland not to use additional voluntary modulation to fund rural development. I believe that the Government should be providing additional Government funding to cater for the needs of the wider rural community. If Northern Ireland chooses not to use additional voluntary modulation, the rural development plan could be approved more quickly in Brussels and payments made in early 2007.”
