"EU SHOULD SCRAP SET-ASIDE" Green argument to keep it is misguided, says Liz Lynne MEP

10.18.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 29th Aug 2007

LibDem Euro MP Liz Lynne is urging the European Commission to scrap set-aside payments to farmers completely.

The West Midlands Region MEP has welcomed moves by Farming Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel in effect to suspend the scheme next year, after unusual weather across Europe and elsewhere reduced yields, wiping out surpluses and pushing up grain prices. But Liz Lynne says she disagrees with claims that set-aside should be continued for its environmental benefits alone.

Speaking today from Brussels, Liz said:

"The Commissioner wants to set the obligatory set-aside rate for 2008 at 0%. I think set-aside has now served its purpose and we should now scrap it altogether."

"Many people think there is something absurd about the notion of paying farmers not to produce on 10% of their land while continuing to farm the remaining 90% as intensively as before. Currently, high grain prices are threatening to push up meat and bread prices for consumers. Bringing set-aside land back into production should help to offset these increases and also help to cut bureaucracy."

"I can understand concern that there have been environmental gains from set-aside areas, strips alongside hedges for example, but there are much better ways to encourage farms to be more green and sustainable, as well as commercially viable. Where land has been put into long-term, environmentally-friendly set-aside, they can keep it as it is without losing any payments. Overall though, set-aside was always a blunt instrument, and was not really designed to be green."

"We should instead boost green practice through the Environmental Stewardship Scheme. Many local farmers in my region say they would like to be more green but the Environmental Stewardship Scheme is under-funded. The newer, second tier of the scheme, Higher Level Stewardship, for more far-reaching environmental projects and practice, is so overstretched that it is hardly worth their while to put in a claim."

"It is a disgrace that ministers have recently cut the budget for the Higher Level Stewardship Scheme. While I will be arguing in Parliament that the next CAP review due in 2009 allows a much more generous framework of green support payments, I do not believe these cuts are due to arguments with the EU about modulation payments. They were unnecessary and came on top of the recent fiasco of delays in Single Farm Payments which has driven many family farmers out of business."

"I hope all lobby groups who want to see sustainable, green and viable family farms join together to urge Gordon Brown to beef up the Higher Level Environmental Stewardship Scheme. And for Britain to urge the Commission to do the decent thing and get rid of the anomaly of set-aside for good.