Robert Sturdy

16 October 2009

A damning report from the National Audit Office has once again revealed the blundering of the British government in paying EU subsidies to farmers, said MEP Robert Sturdy.
The report said the administration of the Single Farm Payments scheme did not provide value for money for taxpayers, and accused DEFRA of showing scant regard for protecting public money.

The review also claimed that the cost of processing claims has risen to around £1,743 per claim under the complex system used. Meanwhile, the cost per claim under the simpler Scottish system is £285.

The Single Farm Payment was introduced by Margaret Beckett in 2005. At the time she went against all warnings and created an overly complex system for administering the payments which resulted in substantial delays for farmers.

Mr Sturdy, who sits on the Agriculture Committee, believes that if the government cannot get the system right after four years, it should reconsider it.

He said:

“This is another example of failed Labour Government bureaucracy and it is our farmers who are losing out.  Ministers have failed to protect public money and failed to provide taxpayers with value for money.

“Despite many warnings that this convoluted system was bound to fail from the start, the government went ahead anyway and things have gone from bad to worse.  Errors are still being made and our region’s farmers have little idea of when they will actually get paid.

“If the government is unable to get it right after four years it needs to seriously reconsider the current system.”

Ends