Curry report proposals
Curry report proposals
could embrace all UK
By FWreporters
RECOMMENDATIONS from the governments independent commission into the future of farming for England could be extended across the whole of the UK.
The commission, chaired by Sir Donald Curry, published its report on Tue, Jan 29. Ministers are now inviting comments from farmers leaders and rural interest groups to discuss how many of its recommendations should be included in a national strategy for agriculture due to be published this summer.
The report calls for a move away from production subsidies towards paying farmers for looking after the countryside. It recommends that farm support should be transferred into new environmental schemes by increasing the rate of modulation across the UK to 10% by 2004.
The report also sets out a range of what it calls "market solutions". These include calls for increased collaboration between farmers and a new body to help drive out inefficiencies from the food chain.
DEFRA secretary Margaret Beckett said the commissions findings were a "brave analysis" of the problems facing the farming industry. "This report gives us a new impetus and a range of new ideas to drive forward the process of change," she added.
But the English NFU has reiterated its "total opposition" to the idea of increasing the modulation rate. Farmers leaders in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have also accused the commission of straying into devolved matters that are none of its business.
NFU Scotland president Jim Walker said : "The policy commission was given a very specific remit to consider future food and farming strategy in England alone. To make such a major recommendation shows a serious disregard for its brief and a failure to understand devolution."
A DEFRA spokesman acknowledged that the reports remit was to look only at England. But any recommendation regarding modulation had to apply to the entire UK because European rules mean England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland must have the same rates.
Strategy documents on the future of farming drawn up for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland will also feed into the future strategy, the spokesman said. "They will have say about whether they want or can afford modulation."
Commission chairman Sir Donald Curry said the report was important because for the first time a diverse group of people with interests in the countryside had come to a consensus. "It would be regrettable if the farming industry did not continue to build on that consensus," he told farmers weekly.
Farmers must wait for ministers to decide whether to proceed with implementing the report, especially because the Treasury must agree to come up with matched-funding, he said. But the industry could make immediate progress on some issues like collaboration which were so crucial to the future of the industry.
"Those recommendations are about helping the industry improve efficiencies and make a profit," Sir Donald said.
• For more on the reports findings, see pages 14-15 and www.fwi.co.uk/curryreport *
Green curry…Margaret Beckett and Sir Donald unveil the report.