MacCleary: “Farmers being short-changed by new government payment scheme”

James  MacCleary, Liberal Democrat candidate for Lewes constituency, has hit out at the Conservative government for short-changing local farmers with their new payment scheme which is designed to replace the ‘Basic Payment Scheme’ (BPS). 

BPS  was the system under which farmers received direct payments when the UK was in the EU. The Conservatives promised British farmers that the BPS would be replaced with a new scheme that would ensure they were better off. In fact, under Conservative reforms to  funding for farmers many will be much worse off.

The National Union of Farmers (NFU) has called for a delay in the phase out of BPS as many farmers are in danger of being put out of business by the inadequate replacements announced by the Conservatives. 

James said: “The Conservatives are letting our farmers down badly. Farmers were told that after Brexit there would be replacement schemes that would mean they received more funding than they got when the UK was in the EU. This has so far proved to be false and it is clear that  the Conservatives are short-changing our farmers.

“My grandparents were dairy farmers so I know how marginal many farms are and how they struggle to stay in business. I support the NFU’s call for the existing payment scheme phase out to be delayed to give local farmers some certainty. The new schemes announced by the Conservatives are so far short of what they promised that they could put local farmers out of business altogether.

“Worse still is that there is no money available to compensate farmers for having to implement the Conservatives’ new schemes. That means farmers are even further out of pocket. I believe farming is more than just a business and hope that Lewes’ Conservative MP, Maria Caulfield, will put the needs of local farmers ahead of party loyalty and join me in speaking out against these reforms that do so much to harm British farming.”