Further delays seen with farm payments
18 October 2006UK - English farmers can expect more delays next year with a troubled new 1.5 billion pound payment scheme, the National Audit Office said on Wednesday.
"The scheme has cost an awful lot of money and is not yet in a position where it is working," said Philip Gibby, director of an NAO study of the single farm payment scheme, adding problems were not expected to be fully fixed until 2008.
The single farm payment scheme, which was introduced as part of a series of European Union agricultural reform, has replaced production-linked farm subsidies.
The English scheme was administered by the Rural Payments Agency and its chief executive was removed from his post in March as previous payments targets were missed.
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Source: The Scotsman
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