We are urgently developing research requirements with other European laboratories to make sure we understand and the disease (Schmallenberg) better.Anger over proposals to switch agri-environment scheme funds
NFU Cymru has written to Welsh Rural Affairs Minister, Elin Jones, objecting to proposals to switch funds under the Welsh Rural Development Programme from the measure that funds agri-environment schemes to other parts of the RDP budget.
“The top priority for NFU Cymru has always been to maximise the amount of money being put into Axis 2 of the Welsh RDP which effectively finances the Welsh agri-environment schemes,” union president, Dai Davies, said today (Wednesday, October 14).
“But the proposal to re-deploy some £31 million at a time when farmers face higher rates of modulation to fund increased technical assistance for implementing the proposed new Glastir land management scheme and towards local development strategies is simply not good enough.
“While we accept and understand the need to avoid a situation where, as a consequence of the depreciation of sterling against the euro, money is returned unspent to the EU, we have repeatedly warned of this scenario and steps should have been taken sooner to mitigate it.”
Speaking after a meeting of NFU Cymru’s rural affairs board its chairman, Bernard Llewellyn, said farmers were ‘extremely frustrated and disappointed’.
“Some 900 farmers have been let down and left in a vacuum between the cessation of the Tir Cynnal and Tir Gofal agri-environment schemes and Glastir’s impending introduction in 2012,” he added.
There was anger that resources which could have been used for transitional purposes were now being re-deployed to other parts of the Wales Rural Development Plan.
“This is a bitter pill to swallow for those who had been encouraged to apply but failed to get into an agri-environment scheme to swallow.”
The union is pressing the Minister to look again at the position.