CLA slams commons decision

LANDOWNERS CLAIM that the government‘s plans for allocating single farm payment to common land are unfair.

The Country Land and Business Association has described the plans put forward by DEFRA on Wed (Dec 15) as a tragedy for commons.

CLA president Mark Hudson said that it had urged DEFRA to give emphasis to the needs of active graziers and recognise the owners‘ interest.

“However the solution announced implies that only a fraction of the support available will be allocated to the active graziers as the eligibility is being divided between (but not paid out to) all those who have registered grazing right. 

“Many commons have vastly more people with registered rights to graze than people exercising that right and some commons have no registered rights at all.”

Mr Hudson said the CLA was concerned that this method of allocating the payment would lead to graziers going out of business.

“Under-management of the land in these already fragile areas is very worrying from all perspectives: environmental, social and economic,” he concluded.