NFU Cymru has asked the Deputy Minister for Farming and Food, Rebecca Evans, for a clear timetable for the simplification of livestock reporting and recording rules during a meeting in Cardiff Bay.
Top of the agenda at the meeting, however, was BPS payments. NFU Cymru President, Stephen James, stressed the importance to the Deputy Minister of getting the remaining BPS part payments out as soon as possible and the impact the delayed payments are having on many rural businesses. Concerns were also raised by the Union about the amount of NFU Cymru members that have received penalties as a result of the rule changes around land with trees.
The request for a clear timetable for the simplification of livestock reporting and recording rules follows a Welsh Government consultation on changes to CPH (County Parish Holding) rules and an ongoing consultation looking at changes to the current six day standstill arrangements. A simplification of the complex and confusing rules surrounding livestock movement recording and reporting is long overdue and has been a key lobbying aim for NFU Cymru for the past 15 years.
In responding to the Welsh Government consultation on holding identifiers (CPH) and associated livestock movements NFU Cymru has welcomed the simplification proposed which will see a rationalisation of holding numbers and a distance limit of 10 miles for a holding within which animals will be able to move without the need to be recorded or reported.
The introduction of these changes will see a phasing out of Sole Occupancy Authorities (SOAs) and Cattle Tracing (CTS) links and introduce one set of rules that cover both cattle and sheep.
Speaking after the meeting NFU Cymru President Stephen James said, “NFU Cymru welcomes the proposals set out within the recent consultation which will provide significant benefits to farmers and regulators in terms of simplifying what is currently a complicated and very confusing system of movement reporting and recording.
“A simpler, more effective and efficient system will deliver multiple benefits not least the fact that a simpler system will deliver a more robust disease management / control regime. We hope that the Deputy Minister will be in a position to take forward the recommendations within this consultation document without further delay. We asked the Deputy Minister to provide a clear timeline for when the CPH rationalisation programme will begin.”
The CPH proposals were part of a package of measures recommended by Gareth Williams in his working smarter report published in January 2012. NFU Cymru has always said that the success of working smarter will be based on the implementation of the full package of measures within the report. A further recommendation, the introduction of Quarantine (Isolation) Units, to mitigate the impact of the six day standstill is currently being consulted upon.
Stephen James concluded, “The introduction of Quarantine Units, which cover all classes of livestock, with sensible and practical rules associated with their approval, certification and day to day running, is crucial to ensure that the full benefits of the CPH programme in terms of simplification can be achieved. A consultation on the Introduction of Quarantine Units has recently been published by Welsh Government and in our meeting we asked the Deputy Minister to ensure that this working smarter recommendation be progressed without delay and concurrent with the CPH proposals.”