Disappointment over certificate of competence plan

The NFU has expressed disappointment at Defra’s failure to reach agreement regarding the use of farm assurance as an option to deliver the certificate of competence required by the latest EU animal welfare transport regulations.

The NFU has been involved in discussions with Defra for the last 18 months about the possibility of assurance being used to deliver the certificate of competence requirement of the new Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order 2006. Earlier this month NFU livestock board chairman Thomas Binns met with Lord Rooker, who expressed support for the use of assurance in this way.

NFU chief livestock adviser Peter King said: “It is a nonsense that this option is still not available as it defies Defra’s goal of achieving ‘better regulation’ and ‘reduced red tape’. This is a classic example of government scoring an own goal.

“Farm assurance is independently inspected and provides a solid platform to deliver a certificate of competence assessment as well as reducing the time burden and costs to the industry of the new regulation. Defra appears to accept this in principle but, in practice, finding a way forward is proving to be overly difficult.”

Notes

More details about the Welfare of Animals (Transport) Order 2006 is available on the Defra website at http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/welfare/farmed/transport.htm

BRITISH GROWERS ADD PRESIDENT AWARD TO 11^TH CONSECUTIVE CHELSEA GOLD

British produce was today (Tuesday) praised at the Chelsea Flower Show when the Growing Britain display received its first President’s Award to add to its 11^th consecutive gold medal.

A team of florists and growers created a modern and dynamic stand packed full of fruit, vegetables, cut flowers, plants and herbs – all British-grown by NFU members. Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) President Peter Buckley chose the British growers display for his personal award above dozens of entries which had met the gold medal standard.  

Display designer Penny Riley said: “NFU members have a great track record at Chelsea and we are very pleased with these awards. Everybody loves how the fruit and vegetables are mixed with plants and flowers to create an eye-catching display. The produce is very much the star of the show.”

Growers manning the stand have been handing out leaflets to visitors to promote British produce, flowers and plants.

Chief horticultural adviser Philip Hudson said: “The Chelsea Flower Show is a great way to showcase the diversity of British produce. Visitors are always surprised to learn that everything on display is grown in this country so it serves as a reminder of the quality and range of home-grown produce.”

Notes

1. Penny Riley has been creating displays at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show for 27 years.

2. The score required for an RHS flower show gold is 75 percent.

Scrapping the common agricultural policy is not the answer - nfu

The conclusion of the Efra Select Committee report into the government’s ‘Vision for the Common Agricultural Policy’ that the CAP should be scrapped and replaced by a new rural policy is “disappointing” and “naïve”, the NFU said today (Wednesday).

NFU President Peter Kendall said: “We find the committee’s conclusion naïve. This is a time when food, energy and environmental security is more important than ever before. The CAP must certainly evolve in the future, but it is essential that these are not jeopardised in a scramble to scrap the CAP.”

The NFU agrees the government’s tactics in launching the Vision were naïve. We said at the time that it lacked rigour and was more likely to antagonise than persuade other member states, and this has proved to be the case. It is one of the factors that led to a poor allocation of rural development funding to the UK.

The NFU is also disappointed that no mention is made of the need to maintain fair competition. If the CAP is to be reformed, it must happen equally across the European Union, and other global competitors like the USA must also dismantle their trade distorting subsidies. It is also disappointing that there is no recognition that the food chain needs to work properly, allowing farmers the opportunity to make sustainable profits.

Finally, while the NFU accepts that there will be a growing emphasis on rural development, it is important not to leap to judgment before a proper assessment of current policies is complete. The NFU’s current experience of rural development does not fill us with confidence that the money is always being spent constructively.

(24/5/07)