Montgomeryshire AM, Russell George, has said the Welsh Government must examine the process of issuing advanced Single Farm Payments to those areas affected by extreme snowfall, as some farmers were missing out.
Mr George called on the Minister for Natural Resources and Food, Alun Davies AM, to bring forward an urgent statement to clarify how the Government was managing the process how it was setting qualification criteria, after the Farmers Union of Wales raised concerns that a number of its members affected by the heavy snowfall last April, were not receiving their payments.
Commenting, Russell George said:
“I have been contacted by FUW in Montgomeryshire, who have rightly raised concerns that farms in areas which were heavily affected by the weather last April, have not received their advanced payment because it appears they have not qualified under the Welsh Government’s criteria.
“They have also brought to my attention that cross-border farms in those affected areas have also not received their advanced payments, even though the majority of their holding is in Wales.
“When the Minister eventually took action in April, my understanding was that the vast majority of Montgomeryshire did fall under the Government’s derogation and therefore, a large proportion of farm businesses in the constituency would qualify.
“The Minister must bring forward an urgent statement on this issue because it is clear that some farmers are being wrongfully discriminated against.”
