01 January 2007
Jim Allister has welcomed the announcement from the Agricultural Minister David Cairns that the Northern Ireland rural development plan will be submitted to Brussels prior to the additional voluntary modulation debate being resolved. Jim Allister believes that there is now a possibility of no voluntary modulation being removed from the farming community. This however will depend on additional funds being allocated from the core Government spend to bridge the shortfall within the rural development budget.
Jim Allister commented, “I welcomed the announcement made by the Agricultural Minister that the rural development programme for Northern Ireland will be submitted to Brussels without any use of voluntary modulation. The current debate in Brussels regarding the use of voluntary modulation is preventing the other regions of the UK from formally submitting their rural development programme to Brussels for approval. This is necessary before any money can be paid to rural communities. The announcement from the Agricultural Minister will result in the Northern Ireland rural development programme being submitted and approved in Brussels in early 2007 and money will hopefully be issued to rural communities by the middle of next year. This would not have been possible if we waited for the voluntary modulation debate to conclude prior to submitting the rural development programme to Brussels.”
Jim Allister also believes that this now reopens the potential for no voluntary modulation being removed from Northern Ireland farmers. “This announcement has been made by the Agricultural Minister to allow money to be issued to the rural community in 2007. It is obvious that there is a large financial deficit in the Rural Development budget from 2008 onwards which the Minister is indicating will be funded from additional voluntary modulation. I am opposed to the use of voluntary modulation as I believe the current formula results in money being removed from some farmers and is given to others within the wider rural community. I believe this latest announcement gives additional time for DARD to find additional core funding to fill the current deficit within the rural development programme. I will be pressing with the Government to find alternative sources of income rather that voluntary modulation to meet the funding shortfall within the rural development programme.”
Agriculture and Environment
