Browns massive body-blow to farmers NFU


29 July 1998


Brown’s massive body-blow to farmers — NFU

By FWi staff

THE Government has delivered a massive body-blow to farmers by postponing early retirement plans for livestock producers and scrapping the Calf Processing Aid Scheme, the NFU has claimed.

“The cattle industry is already struggling under the weight of the beef export ban and the farm incomes crisis arising from the strength of Sterling,” said NFU President Ben Gill.

“The decision puts even more pressure on cattle farmers. I am therefore extremely disappointed that the Government had decided not to introduce an early retirement scheme.”

The NFU had urged Ministers not to end the Calf Processing Aid Scheme until the beef export ban was lifted.

“At the moment we have no market for the calves which are entering the processing scheme,” Mr Gill said. “A retirement scheme could have been of tremendous benefit to farmers being forced out of the industry due to no fault of their own.

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