Ulster Unionist MLA Jo-Anne Dobson has raised concerns that the Department of Agriculture’s planned Bovine Viral Diarrhoea (BVD) compulsory scheme heralds the ‘beginning of a potentially open-ended multi-million pound levy on farmers.’
Expressing her concerns at this week’s Stormont Agriculture Committee that the promised benefits to farmers could be ‘many years down the line’, Mrs Dobson said she was concerned that DARD officials confirmed that the total yearly cost to our farmers would begin over £1.7M.
Commenting Mrs Dobson said:
“I recognise that BVD is a major issue on farms in Northern Ireland and that steps need to be taken to tackle it and its spread. There have been a number of positive developments over recent years in regards to the disease however and now vaccines exist to protect breeding cattle and prevent the creation and birth of PIs, and as such the disease is now very controllable.
“I am concerned however that DARD has confirmed that this compulsory new scheme, which the Department is trying to rush through Stormont, will cost our farmers more than £5 million over the next three years but they cannot tell us how many years this additional levy will last for.
“By way of comparison a scheme is already in its fourth year in the Republic of Ireland, and despite the fact that they have grant support for removing persistently infected (PI) animals, which DARD’s scheme will not, over 1,000 PI infected herds remain.
“Indeed DARD officials confirmed there were challenges within the Republic of Ireland’s scheme – challenges which DARD should learn from and not seek to repeat in Northern Ireland.
“Officials confirmed that that the additional cost of purchasing each new tag would £3.44 – a figure which has already risen as this scheme was being brought forward. They went on to say they were unable to assure farmers that the levy, by way of increased ear tag costs, would not increase in future years.
“I was also bitterly disappointed when officials openly admitted that no provisions would be made by way of dispensation for the farmers who took part in the voluntary scheme. They justified this by saying that it was not ‘legally possible’ to provide ‘aspirational’ dispensation, despite the fact that these were promised to farmers who volunteered.
“When officials describe a scheme as bringing 10 to 1 financial benefits to farmers then fail to provide any information around when those benefits will be reaped, despite millions of pounds of costs to farmers alarm bells should be ringing.
“Despite DARD disagreeing with me that this is a levy - which by definition is 'to use official authority to demand and collect a payment' - and given the compulsory nature of the scheme it is a levy on farmers by any other name. Also the fact that farmers will be required to pass their personal and herd details to an outside body and also face fines of up to £1,000 for non-compliance is vintage DARD at its best – red tape, paperwork and fines with no guarantee of financial returns to farmers.
“Given that BVD is not a notifiable production disease farmers are now to face increased financial costs with no guarantee of financial benefits as a result. I remain to be convinced that this legislation with its open-ended levy will be universally welcomed in farmyards across Northern Ireland given the current financial pressures which many farming families continue to face.”