Minister mixes humour with strong words
Minister mixes humour with strong words
FARM minister Nick Brown proved he could entertain as well as listen in his address to the 1999 Cirencester conference Making the Land Pay.
Mr Brown kept his audience laughing for nearly 25 minutes with a stream of jokes, most at his own expense.
But he proved more serious as he turned his attention towards his consultation papers on rural development and the future of hill payments.
"I want to hear peoples views before deciding a way forward. These are important questions and we need to find the right answers," he said.
"The changes to LFA (less favoured areas) support provide us with the opportunity to take stock of the position in the hill sector and to identify better ways of targeting support so that it meets our long-term objectives. I hope it will be seen as a positive opportunity to help ensure that hill farming in England has a viable and sustainable future."
Mr Brown told delegates he was convinced of the need to move compensation from a headage to area basis.
But he admitted cash would be the limiting factor for introducing new policies under the rural development scheme. *