The government has agreed to re-examine the plight of an estimated 200 farmers left ineligible to apply for aid when they converted to organic farming because of unfair support scheme cut off dates.

The farmers and growers were left without any form of aid in the expensive conversion process by the six month cut off rule which meant they fell between two phases of the Organic Farming Scheme.

Affected farmers registered as organic producers in the eight-month period between November 1999 and July 2000. This was between the ending of the first phase of the scheme but before the six month cut off period for eligibility for the second phase, which opened in January 2001.

Defra has now agreed to look again at the issue and has asked the NFU to supply details of farmers who may have fallen through the net.

NFU legal adviser Robert Madge said: 'Farmers have been extolled to convert to organic in recent years. But it is an extremely expensive process and there are long periods when the producer has a severely reduced income.

'That is why the Organic Farming Scheme is so important and why we have been pressing Defra for some time to reconsider the implementation of the six-month cut off rule.

'It is vital that any farmer whose certificate of registration was issued between November 1999 and July 2000 gets in touch with us so we can look at how they may be helped.' Any NFU members falling into this category who would like their case to be re-considered should write as soon as possible to Robert Madge at Agriculture House, 164 Shaftesbury Avenue, London WC2H 8HL.

A brief questionnaire will then be sent to each applicant so that the information required can be collated in an organised way.

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