ANY REFORM OF SUGAR PAYMENTS MUST BE FAIR TO OUR FARMERS
April 16, 2007 12:00 AM
By Liz Lynne MEP
By Liz Lynne MEP
Liz Lynne MEP has learnt of possible new European Commission plans to deliver far reaching reforms to compensation rates for farmers leaving the sugar sector.
It is rumoured that compensation levels for farmers committing to the leavers scheme could rise from £8 per tonne to £30 per tonne in a bid to decrease production across the European Union.
Whilst revised levels should be welcomed for short changed sugar beet farmers, Liz has today written to the Commissioner responsible for Agriculture issues, Mariann Fischer - Boel, to clarify the situation and to find out whether this would be paid to farmers retrospectively for having been forced out of the business by the closure of the Kidderminster, Alstom and York sugar refineries.
Speaking from Brussels today Liz commented;
"A higher rate of compensation for sugar farmers would be positive news for those UK farmers that remain in the sugar beet sector.
'However, any new deal with significantly improved levels of compensation would appear to be grossly unfair to those only recently forced out. Over 2000 British farmers have recently left the sector, receiving only a third of the level of compensation expected to be announced next month. "
"The European Commission must look at this difference in payments and whether it would be feasible to pay those farmers who have left the business retrospectively"
ENDS
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Liberal Democrats
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats