Action needed now on unfair SFP penalties - McArthur (Aberdeen South & North Kincardine Liberal Democrats)

Aberdeen South & North Kincardine Liberal Democrats <info@aberdeensouthlibdems.org.uk>

Action needed now on unfair SFP penalties - McArthur

January 19, 2010 5:15 PM
Originally published by Scottish Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrat Rural Affairs spokesperson Liam McArthur MSP has called for urgent action from SNP Ministers to address the problem of disproportionate Single Farm Payment penalties in Scotland.

NFU Scotland expressed concern in December that penalty arrangements for those found in breach of Single Farm Payment rules take no account of the nature of the breach and are often now significantly out of line with the nature of the offence.

Parliamentary Questions lodged by Mr McArthur reveal that no significant action has been taken on this issue and that Ministers do not have any confirmed plans to meet with stakeholders in regards to this issue.

Commenting, Mr McArthur said:

"I know from conversations with farmers and the NFU the serious impact these penalties are having across the sector in Scotland.

"Often minor administrative errors are leading to punitive penalties, something SNP Ministers previously claimed they had tackled.

"There appears to be some evidence that other governments, including the UK Government, are taking a less draconian approach in relation to this issue. If that is the case, lessons must be learnt.

"It is right that Scottish Ministers establish what is happening elsewhere in the EU, but the case for a more proportionate system of penalties seems compelling.

"Action must be taken against those seeking to defraud the public purse but that effort is not helped by casting the net too widely."

Ends.