We are urgently developing research requirements with other European laboratories to make sure we understand and the disease (Schmallenberg) better.Lib Dems call for 'fair' CAP
THE Liberal Democrats have called for a more equitable Single Payment Scheme in light of figures showing that £120 million was awarded to just 387 recipients last year.
Lib Dem Shadow Defra Secretary Tim Farron said the figures revealed that ‘huge estate owners are claiming millions of pounds in EU payments at the expense of small family farms’.
He had asked Farming Minister Jim Fitzpatrick in a Parliamentary Question how many people had been paid Single Payments worth £200,000 or more since the figures became available.
The reply revealed that:
- In 2006, 344 individuals were paid £119,795,387.90.
- In 2007, 309 individuals were paid £107,022,405.65.
- In 2008, 378 individuals were paid £120,664,553.45
Mr Fitzpatrick said details for each recipient would be placed in the House of Commons Library.
Mr Farron highlighted the £930,000 paid to Sir Richard Sutton’s Settled Estate, despite the Sunday Time’s Rich List estimating his fortune to be well over £100m in 2004.
Mr Farron said, while some of these large payments, such as to the Natural Trust and the Co-Operative, were justified, the figures showed how ‘unbalanced’ the current system is.
“The Single Farm Payments scheme ought to be supporting people such as hard-pressed hill farmers in Cumbria rather than wealthy landowners. Awarding such large sums of money to individuals who are already very rich goes against the central purpose of the Common Agricultural Policy,” he said.
“At a time when hill farmers across the country are struggling to get by on an average income of less than ten thousand pounds, how can anyone justify a system which pays big landowners millions of pounds in tax payers money?”
He said there was ‘an obvious’ need for a change to a CAP which is ‘modern, fairer and which supports small family farms’.
“This means reorganising payments to ensure that targeted support is given to the hard-pressed farmers who genuinely need it,” Mr Farron said.
