On Tuesday 26th and Wednesday 27th September, Sir Bill Wiggin MP hosted roundtables for farmers in North Herefordshire, to ask their questions to representatives from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), DEFRA and the Forestry Commission.
The roundtables gave farmers the opportunity to hear about Environmental Land Management Schemes (ELMS) and the grants available to them, as well as to ask their questions to the RPA face to face.
The two sessions, the first of which was held at Colwall Village Hall and the second at The Cider Barn near Pembridge, saw nearly 100 farmers in attendance.
The roundtables opened with a brief introduction from Bill, followed by a short presentation from the RPA, DEFRA and the Forestry Commission before the sessions were opened up to those present to ask their questions.
The general consensus from the farmers present was that the application process for RPA and ELMS need to be simplified to speed up the process.
They also emphasised that there should be better communication between the RPA and the Animal and Plant Health Agency on Capital Grants, as well as the need for the schemes to be more practical to avoid complications such as dual funding.
There was positive feedback from farmers who felt that they had their say on improving the Government schemes available to them.
Following the roundtables, Bill commented:
“The sessions provided local farmers with direct access to the Government agencies.
This was a great opportunity for the RPA to listen to Herefordshire farmers who had constructive and insightful questions regarding the RPA and ELMS.
The opportunity for direct feedback is one of the advantages of Brexit as we are no longer constrained by the Common Agricultural Policy and can shape our own future.
It was exciting to hear that the RPA, DEFRA and Forestry Commission will take on board the criticism they received from farmers and evolve their schemes going forward.
It is essential that the RPA and DEFRA support farmers by protecting the bottom line for their businesses and streamline the application processes so that farmers are able to focus on what they do best – feeding the nation and protecting our environment.”
