Government to reject farm aid plea

30 October 2001



Government to reject farm aid plea

By FWi staff

MINISTERS are set to reject farmers pleas for 57m in agrimonetary aid, according to a Whitehall insider quoted in the Financial Times.

The money is available from Brussels to compensate farmers for the weakness of the Euro which driven down the value of farm subsidies

But the insider said arable farmers had received 28m in compensation last Spring and better uses could be found for the money this time round.

Its coming from the very same pot that pays for repairs to our schools, beds for hospitals and more care for our elderly people, he said.

A spokesman for the National Farmers Union said growers would be bitterly disappointed unless the money was forthcoming.

Cereal farmers and their families are in a worse state than in living memory mainly because of the impact of the strong Pound against the Euro.

The deadline to apply for the aid expires on Wednesday (30 October).

• Gill to Blair: farm aid clock ticking, FWi, 24 October, 2001
• Cereal sector faces recession – NFU, FWi, 7 August, 2001
• Government ignores arable Cinderella, FWi, 18 July, 2001
• Plea for help as 50,000 quit farming, FWi, 2 July, 2001