The coalition, launched by the NFU, CLA and TFA, now has 24 members united in their call for a fair deal for English farmers.
English farmers already receive payments that are lower than their major European competitors, and the Coalition is worried that English farmers will be further disadvantaged by the way that Defra may choose to implement the CAP in England.
The NFU has written to MPs in rural England laying out the concerns of the coalition. It asks for MPs to raise concerns with Defra and government ministers based on two ‘threats’ that would disadvantage farmers in the UK compared to those in Europe:
“CAP reform has never been about the money for us,” said NFU president Peter Kendall. “It’s about fairness and making sure English farmers are not disadvantaged by our own government.
“It seems to me that at a time when consumers are looking to buy more traceable British food, and retailers are looking to farmers here to supply that demand, we also need a government at home that will support our farming industry.
“David Cameron said at our conference in 2008 that, ‘We need to create a level playing field with foreign competitors when it comes to regulation. Our government often imposes far more onerous standards on British agriculture than exist elsewhere in the EU. These can have perverse consequences. Instead of driving standards up, they just drive farmers out of business’. What we need is for this government to deliver on that. What we don’t need is convenient amnesia on what was promised when Mr Cameron was in opposition.
“The letter I have sent today will remind MPs of the importance of getting this reform, and its implementation here at home, absolutely right. I want Defra ministers to really consider the impact that the political and economic dogma we hear so often from them will have on our farming industry. We need a fair deal for English farmers, the future of our food and farming industry depends on it.”
Source: NFU
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