Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to make interim payments to farmers let down by the failed implementation of the Single Farm Payment scheme.
As many as three quarters of farms are yet to receive payments under the scheme but are already being taxed as if they were. Despite repeated Government assurances that they would be made before the end of the month, Ministers now admit they will not keep this promise.
Michael Howard said:
‘Many of my farming constituents are facing hardship and in some cases bankruptcy because the Government has failed in implementing the Single Farm Payment scheme.
‘These people have been let down by an ineffectual Department, incompetently run.
‘It is now essential that the Government makes interim payments to mitigate the hardship caused by its incompetence.’ |
