"Hill Farming Allowance should be extended to give hill farmers stability" - Farron

Local MP Tim Farron used a Parliamentary Debate on the Hill Farming Allowance yesterday to ask the Government to extend the current scheme for a further two years.

The purpose of yesterday's meeting was to confirm the total budget for the Hill Farming Allowance for 2006/07, which is scheduled to be the last year it is paid before it is replaced by the Uplands Reward Scheme.

Tim is concerned that after the recent problems with the processing of Single Farm Payments, hill farmers need some stability, and that the Government will not be able to get the systems in place for the Hill Farming Allowance's replacement in time.

Commenting after the meeting, Tim said: "DEFRA needs to be an advocate for hill farmers, who do fantastic work for the paltry funding of just £27.2 million. They deserve security and stability and that it why we are calling for a two-year rollover of the Hill Farm Allowance while DEFRA develops the new Uplands Reward Scheme.

"DEFRA owes it to Britain's hill farmers to give them all the support they can. Hill farmers maintain some of the most beautiful areas of our country, all for less than the cost of a single Chelsea striker!"