Hill farms in England’s upland areas are set to benefit from nearly £4m (US$6.09m) in extra government aid.
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Rural Affairs Minister Alun Michael and Hill Farming Minister Lord Whitty today announced plans to increase payment rates under the Hill Farm Allowance (HFA) for the 2002/3 financial year.
Subject to formal European Commission approval, the HFA budget for 2003 is set to increase from £37.4m to £41.1m and is intended to give further help to farmers battling to earn a viable living on some of England’s most unproductive land.
Ministers also announced a planned change in the safety net system – compensation for income lost by some farmers following the change in the way support for hill farmers is calculated. Next year, the final year in which it will be paid, the safety net will guarantee at least 50% of a producer’s Hill Livestock Compensatory Allowance (HLCA) payment set in 2000, providing there is no change to the forage area. In the current year the safety net guaranteed 80%.
Michael said: “Hill farmers live and work in some of England’s most precious landscapes. They and their families, many of whom have farmed the land for decades, are often the backbone of remote rural communities.
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By GlobalData“We want to help hill farmers continue to manage our uplands. Next year’s extra money for Hill Farm Allowance will provide a welcome boost. It means that we will be able to increase next year’s payment rates well above those of this year and will help offset the effect on some hill farmers of the change to the safety net.”
