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War effort may prevent arable aid

- 11 October 2001
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11 October 2001



War effort may prevent arable aid

By Tom Allen-Stevens

FOOD and Farming Minister Lord Whitty has warned that the crisis in Afghanistan may prevent the government helping arable farmers.

Treasury purse strings have been drawn tighter following a spending review in the wake of the US terror attacks last month, he said.

“The world is now a very different place,” he told a National Farmers Union delegation at a meeting on Wednesday (10 October).

But NFU president Ben Gill said farmers were desperate for help.

“Market conditions and the strength of Sterling have combined with last autumns weather conditions to almost sink Britains arable sector.

Some arable farmers fear that their plight has been eclipsed by the foot-and-mouth crisis, which has pushed it down the political agenda.

But NFU Cereals Committee chairman Richard Butler said Lord Whitty had “recognised the severity of the hardship faced by arable farmers”.

Mr Butler made a renewed plea for 57 million in agrimonetary compensation to offset the strong Pound, which has devalued arable subsidies set in Euros.

The European Commission proposal to lift a Euro10 (6.20) import levy on grain from east Europe was also among the issues discussed.

Lord Whitty did not reveal how the UK would vote on the motion, but sympathised with the view that such a move would hurt British farmers.

Mr Butler said: “Its terribly distorting on the grain market for these countries with little storage facilities to dump grain on the world market.”

He finished by asking that this years arable area aid subsidies be paid on time with the appointment of a new payments agency.

“With many growers facing such a drop in income anyway, and with cashflows in such a desperate state, that really would be the last straw.”

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