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UFU ask DARD to consider extension to original Countryside Management contracts

            UFU ask DARD to consider extension to original

                    Countryside Management contracts

 

The Ulster Farmers’ Union has written to the Department of Agriculture requesting that they postpone issuing termination letter for the original Countryside Management scheme and explore the possibility of extending these contracts instead. Contracts for the original scheme are due to expire in the near future and the request comes after the EU Commission approved a series of arrangements for Rural Development which will help to smooth the transition from the current programme to the new programme post 2013.

UFU Deputy President Ian Marshall said; “The UFU has written to DARD to ask that they postpone sending out termination letters for the original Countryside Management Scheme until they have explored all options available to them. The EU Commission has recently approved a series of transition arrangements for the Rural Development Programme, which allows for a greater level of funding to be transferred between Axes and also allows Member States to extend agri-environment contracts which are due to come to an end. At present, there is a significant amount of funding remaining in Axis 3 and it is important that this is fully utilised so it is not returned to the EU. These arrangements create an opportunity where additional funds could be shifted into the original Countryside Management Scheme thereby allowing for existing contracts to be extended. Prior to the EU Commission agreeing these transition arrangements, this would not have been possible.

“The Department has taken similar action in the past so there is already a precedent in place allowing them to do so again in this instance. There are obvious environmental and economic benefits to extending this scheme and I would encourage the Department to carefully consider our request to explore all available options for keeping this scheme operational while we make the transition to the new Rural Development Programme in 2015.”