£149k fine for milk brothers

THE RURAL Payments Agency has successfully prosecuted two brothers for falsifying milk declarations to avoid paying three years of superlevy.

Russell and Peter Beck, of Parkhouse Farm and Woodbine Farm, near Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, failed to declare almost 400,000 litres of direct milk sales in 1997-98, 1998-99 and 1999-2000, thereby avoiding £112,000 of superlevy.

They have been fined £12,000 for using false documents and failing to keep records, plus £112,000 in superlevy and costs of £25,000.