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"Increased flexibility for farmers"
announces Scottish Executive:
but far too late for 2005 summer grazings
Editorial
Filed 11 Apr 05
©www.land-care.org.uk
On the 7th April 2005 the Scottish
Executive published a news release (1) stating:
"Greater flexibility has been introduced to the Single Farm
Payment (SFP) scheme through the option to have two two different
10 month working periods.
"To claim a SFP producers must be involved in agricultural
activity. The land must be in use for at least 10 consecutive
months
Two different periods can be selected for different areas of
land, beginning any time between October 1 2004 and April 30 2005,
providing greater flexibility in farm management.
This is a result of changed to European regulations"
While the relaxation of the rule
that all lets must start on the same date is welcome, the trouble
is that this accommodation is announced far too late for completion
of the IACS form for 2005. In particular the announcement is made
after the main grass let auctions have already taken place. The
arrangements for grass lets for this summer were unnecessarily complicated
for this year, possibly causing some livestock farms being unable
to acquire adequate summer grazings for their stock. In terms of
quality livestock farming - rather than commodity - this could lead
to serious interruption in breeding programmes.
This is a yet another example of
how inefficient the administration of farming is through the Brussels/DEFRA/SEERAD
axis of cumbersome bureaucracy.
References
1. Scottish Executive (2005). Increased
flexibility for farmers.
http://www.scotland.gov.uk/News/Releases/2005/04/07153201
Finis
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