Farmers cannot be expected to share costs until DARD takes serious steps to control disease
01 January 2007
The DUP has expressed concern regarding aspects of the DARD consultation on cost sharing within the agricultural industry. Jim Allister MEP believes that DARD needs to demonstrate to the farming community that it is at least trying to eradicate diseases within the agriculture sector before it can expect farmers to take on additional costs.
Jim Allister commented, “Farmers within Northern Ireland have always taken disease control seriously. The farming industry is more than happy to work closely with the Government in both preventing diseases from entering the country and eradicating diseases. It is vitally important that DARD takes steps to control disease. In the consultation it is clear that the proposed policy is an outcome from the 2001 Foot and Mouth outbreak in the UK. The controls in place at our ports and airports are still inadequate to prevent Foot and Mouth being reintroduced into the country.
“I believe that the current consultation is designed as a cost cutting exercise rather than a genuine desire to work closer with the industry. Farmers have already taken on additional costs in controlling disease through pre movement brucellosis testing. The farming industry cannot afford to take on additional costs.”
