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Concern at ministers plan for MAFF

- 19 July 2000
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19 July 2000



Concern at minister’s plan for MAFF

By Isabel Davies

FARMERS have expressed concern about plans to restructure the Ministry of Agriculture as part of the governments Comprehensive Spending Review.

Chancellor Gordon Brown announced on Tuesday (18 July) that the aggregate farm budget would rise from 1 billion a year to 1.35bn by 2004.

The extra money equates to an average annual real-term increase of 6% per year, he told MPs during a statement to the House of Commons.

Farmers cautiously welcomed the extra money, but voiced worries about plans to restructure MAFFs regional offices into a single payment agency for subsidies.

MAFF aims to create a new agency for MAFF and Intervention Board payments and wants to “restructure other aspects of MAFFs regional operations”.

Full details of what the pledge involves will be unveiled by agriculture minister Nick Brown on Monday (24 July), Farmers Weekly has learned.

In the meantime, the promise to streamline MAFFs regional operations has led to a flurry of demands from the agricultural industry for more information.

Any restructuring must meet farmers needs and should not just be a cost-cutting exercise, said the National Farmers Union.

NFU president Ben Gill said: “Efficient government has to be welcomed, but there must be no drop in service levels to farmers.”

Nick Way, chief political advisor for the Country Landowners Association, called for “urgent clarification and reassurance” on the restructuring.

Mr Way said he was worried about MAFFs ability to keep in touch with its rural roots if, as expected, many of the regional offices are closed down.

George Dunn, chief executive of the Tenant Farmers Association, said centralising CAP administration showed a real lack of concern for farmers.

He said: “The TFA has opposed these recommendations as we would lose the public face of MAFF to the farming community.

“Many TFA members have told us how much they benefit from the ability to sort out problems face-to-face with ministry officials at the regional offices.”

Opposition politicians have also attacked the spending plans.

Shadow agriculture minister Tim Yeo accused the Labour government of taxing more, but spending less on agriculture.

“Farmers will not be impressed with the Chancellors boasts when their daily experience is of red tape,” he said.

Lib-Dem farm spokesman Colin Breed described the spending increase for agriculture as “pretty paltry” compared with spending on education and health.

“It seems that Gordons generosity does not extend to rural Britain; he has obviously failed to grasp the genuine needs of Britains rural communities.”

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