MAFF to keep farmers waiting


18 July 2000



MAFF to keep farmers waiting

By FWi staff

THE government is expected to wait for “a few days” before releasing full details of the impact on farming of its Comprehensive Spending Review.

The review, which will outline government spending plans for the next three years, is due to be unveiled by Chancellor Gordon Brown on Tuesday (18 July).

But Mr Brown is expected to focus on major sectors such as health, education and transport when he addresses MPs in the House of Commons.

It will be left to individual departments, such as the Ministry of Agriculture (MAFF), to reveal the exact breakdown of the Chancellors plans for their sectors.

MAFF has already warned that farmers are unlikely to receive any additional money even though the Chancellor is expected to be generous in other areas.

A MAFF spokesman said it would be “a few days” before the department is ready to release full details of the spending plans relating to agriculture.

Some information would be available but it would take a broad-brush approach and would be unlikely to deal with any specifics, he added.

A spokesman for the Liberal Democrats said he believed final details of the spending review would not be released by MAFF until next Monday (24 July).

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