Ulster Unionist Agriculture Spokesperson Jo-Anne Dobson MLA has warned that unless the Agriculture Minister comes forward with urgent and clear CAP definitions young farmers and the wider industry will suffer.

Mrs Dobson said:

"The whole point of a young farmers scheme and making sure single farm payments go to those actively farming is to help provide additional targeted support to our farmers.

"Sadly the Department have wrapped up these schemes in their all too familiar red tape and bureaucracy. 

Mrs Dobson raised the concerns of farmers across Northern Ireland at this week's Stormont Agriculture committee.

Speaking afterwards she said:

"Not for the first time I asked senior DARD officials this week to once and for all define these terms. Once again I was met with the same Department-speak and half answers, rather than the clarity which farmers need and deserve. The sad truth is, they simply don't know the answers themselves. 

"In the Assembly on Tuesday the Minister, far from helping, added to the confusion by providing her own bizarre definition of an active farmer. She said ‘The rule of thumb should be this: if you do not know whether you are an active farmer, you most likely are not.’  

"I have to ask, if the Minister doesn't know, and her officials can't give a definition then what help is this for farmers?"

"It is worrying that the Department will freely admit to me me that they are expecting a ‘large number of speculative single farm applications.

"They mustn't use this as an excuse to justify delays in payments faced because of their own continued failures to get to grips with the Active Farmer issue.  

“I am calling on the Minister and her officials to once and for all clear up this confusion and come out with definitions in plain English."