Ulster Unionist MLA Adrian Cochrane-Watson has lambasted the Agriculture Minister for failing to live up to previous commitments to reduce the administrative burden for farmers.

The South Antrim MLA said:

“I have a background in business so I know exactly  the stranglehold that red tape and bureaucracy can have on any enterprise. Whilst there is broad consensus that the agricultural industry here is still faced with too much red tape, as well as forced to jump through too many new hoops, to date I do not believe there has ever been a genuine willingness to tackle it.

“This week in the Assembly I directly challenged the Agriculture Minister on the issue and I quizzed her by how much her Department had reduced the administrative burden on farmers and agri-food businesses since 2007.

“In that year there was an official government target set to cut the administrative burden in the agri-food sector by 25% by 2013, unfortunately however respective Agriculture Ministers appear to have quickly realised they would not achieve it. By 2013 only a 10% reduction had been achieved, with little meaningful progress since. In fact new administrative burdens since coming into play. Indeed, in the Minister’s own response to me she stated that instead of a simpler regime, the new CAP schemes are  even greater in number and more complex to administer.

“One of the issues that farmers repeatedly raise with me is the hurdles that DARD places in-front of them. Whether it is providing them with inaccurate maps which can take many working hours to correct, or the seemingly open-ended trail of documentation that they receive and are expected to address immediately, they really are becoming sick sore and tired of it. I have no doubt whatsoever that red tape is still placing a massive strain on farming families right across the country.

“Many farmers will be infuriated however to learn that whilst DARD have been clamping down on them, it has allowed its own costs of administration to spiral. The total cost of administration is now £45 million in this financial year compared to £5 million less five years ago. I really do believe a genuine effort must be made by the next Minister to tackle what is a constant drain on an already pressurised industry.”