Liberal Democrats launch "A Sound Future for Farming"

12.00.00am GMT Thu 9th Feb 2006

Farmers in UK would get a fairer deal under proposals launched by the Liberal Democrats today.

Herefordshire Liberal Democrat MP, Paul Keetch welcomed the paper, "A Sound Future for Farming", saying it would bring fairness into the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), and offered benefits for farmers, consumers and rural communities as a whole.

Commenting on the launch of the paper, Mr Keetch said "This paper sets out a strategy to use available funds better to help protect family farms in Herefordshire.

"Our strategy aims to put money back into rural communities. We would ensure domestic production is not unfairly undercut by external competition and continue to support local, sustainable food production in this country. To protect suppliers from abuses of supermarket power, we would appoint a Food Trade Inspector - something the Government has failed to do.

"The proposals aim to offer a fairer deal to all local farmers by removing all direct production and export subsidies from the CAP, whilst driving up production standards for food imports."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

The key recommendations raised in the paper are as follows:

· To set a ceiling for single farm payments made under the CAP provided the surplus generated can be retained in the UK. We would use the funds released to support poorer farmers and environmental objectives, subject to EU approval.

· To appoint a Food Trade Inspector in the Office of Fair Trading to proactively monitor the way in which supermarkets interact with farmers and suppliers.

· To reverse the decision to cut Pillar II funds and ensure that public money is used to deliver public goods as well as arguing the case for the UK to receive twice the level of Pillar II funding that it does now.

· To encourage farming to play its part in tackling climate change, particularly in the development of biomass crops.

· To continue to remove all direct production and export subsidies from the CAP whilst driving up production standards for food imports.

· To ensure domestic production is not unfairly undercut by external competition and support continued local, sustainable food production in this country.