DEFRA to push through animal disease cost sharing proposals

DEFRA secretary Hilary Benn has rejected industry pleas to delay the introduction of the proposed animal disease cost-sharing initiative that is expected to cost the livestock sector £40m a year in fees.

Speaking at a DEFRA conference on Monday (19 November) that discussed the shape of English farming in 2020, the secretary of state dismissed concerns that now was not a suitable time to proceed with the government’s agenda.

Instead, he said the outbreak of several animal diseases this summer has enforced his opinion that the industry should have a greater say in the decision making process.

“I’ve taken decisions this summer that should be taken by stakeholders,” Mr Benn said.

He said that he had been urged to delay a consultation on the proposal until a later date but instead, was determined to introduce one before Christmas.

“It was made clear to me on the day I took up office at DEFRA that dealing with cost and responsibility of dealing with animal diseases was not just one of the ‘other things’ that we needed to deal with.”

“The current arrangements are unsustainable,” he added.

The secretary of state added that the government will continue to push for reform of the Common Agricultural Policy.

It is “both inevitable and necessary to enable farmers to produce for the market.”

In return the government would continue to pay farmers for the environmental and societal goods they provided in managing the landscape.

But he hinted that the level of environmental regulation applied to the industry was likely to increase to ensure the government meets its objectives of reducing watercourse pollution, enhancing biodiversity and tackling climate change.