MPs in plea over plight of cross-border farmers
Two Mid Wales MPs have met a Government minister to discuss the plight of Welsh farmers with land on both sides of the England/Wales border.
Many farmers have still not received their Common Agricultural Policy payments – five months after the subsidy, vital to their incomes, should have been received.
Montgomeryshire MP Glyn Davies and Chris Davies, who represents Brecon and Radnorshire, discussed the problems with farming minister George Eustice at Westminster.
Mr Davies arranged the meeting after being approached by a group of concerned farmers based in Montgomeryshire. He said severe delays to CAP payments had caused serious cash flow problems for many Welsh farmers near to the border.
"I'm grateful to the minister for meeting us to discuss the financial difficulties being faced by cross-border farmers in both Wales and England," he said.
"The financial structure that farming operates in today means that CAP payments are fundamental to farm profitability.
"As a result of the bureaucracy arising from running two separate payment systems in England and Wales, many cross-border farmers have been left in a very difficult position – and the same goes for the businesses which supply these farms.
"The subsidy applications of cross-border farm businesses are processed by either the UK Government or the Welsh Government. Both Government's depend on information from each other to carry out the authorisation and payment processes, and problems arise through different processes followed by the two Governments. It's farmers who lose out.
"We emphasised just how important it is to sort out this problem quickly, and ensure systems are in place to prevent it happening again."
