Paterson defends flexibility of CAP deal

UK ENVIRONMENT Secretary wen Paterson made it clear yesterday that he had negotiated as much flexibility as possible for devolved nations in the next common agricultural policy (CAP) and it was now up to Scottish Government ministers to make maximum use of it

Speaking on his first official visit north of the Border, Paterson said: “You have the freedom to work out how to deliver the CAP to your best advantage. It is very much in Scottish hands now.”

He said he was pleased that this devolved decision making had made it through the meeting last week as he believed that having a single set of priorities in the UK was not appropriate.

“One size does not fit all,” he claimed. “I’ll continue to fight for the rights of farmers across the UK to ensure their needs are recognised as discussions continue with the EU Parliament.”

Paterson was accompanied on his visit to NFU Scotland president Nigel Miller’s farm at Stow in the Borders by Scottish Secretary and local MP, Michael Moore, who stressed the different challenges faced by Scottish farmers and who added that last week’s outcome took account of these diverse needs.

Paterson confirmed that the devolved decision agreed last week covered all aspects of the CAP and he denied Scottish rural affairs minister Richard Lochhead’s claims he had excluded him from vital talks.

Paterson said Simon Coveney, the Irish farm minister who chaired the meeting, had an “almost impossible task” in trying to reconcile the varied demands from 27 member states and the only way Coveney could achieve an outcome was to limit representations to one minister per member state.

He also denied claims that the compromise paper was unfair in that it allowed some countries more linked or coupled payments than others.

He made it plain he still believed coupled payments were not the way forward – “the hard-pressed taxpayer might not see them as a good way to spend public money” – but he said, he could see they had a role to play in some circumstances in providing stability in production and it was up to Scotland on this provided it was no more than 7 per cent of the total support package.

“On coupling there was such a divergence in opinion that I do not think anyone is happy,” he said.

Miller expressed his concerns that, such is the major shift Scottish farmers face moving from historic payments to area-based ones, that all important cash flows might be badly affected if support payment systems do not cope with the change.

He said he wanted an assurance that up to 90 per cent of support cash could be made as an advance payment.