Farron calls on RPA to provide interim payments to struggling South Lakes farmers

Farmers in South Lakeland who have yet to receive their single farm payments should be given interim payments to help them through the difficult winter period according to Liberal Democrat Farming Spokesperson Tim Farron MP.

The Rural Payments Agency has been lauded in recent weeks after they announced they had met their first formal 2009 Single Payment Scheme target six weeks ahead of schedule. However, Mr Farron has been informed that problems with the mapping system for south Cumbria and north Lancashire have left local farmers still waiting for their payments.

Commenting Mr Farron said:

"Many farmers are finding the huge amount of snow and the recent cold snap incredibly difficult and are struggling even more than usual to get by. At such a hard time, it's vital that farmers are given their farm payments effectively and on time.

"There's been a lot of back-slapping within the RPA over their recent success, but in reality this only tells half the story as hundreds of farmers in Cumbria have been left without their farm payments because of administrative complications relating to satellite mapping

"Instead of leaving farmers to simply pick up the pieces, the RPA should be giving out interim payments to make sure no farmer is forced into bankruptcy because of RPA bureaucracy."