The NFU has announced its support for the government's decision to implement the de-coupling of support payments as fully as possible from 2005.

NFU deputy president Tim Bennett said: “The European Commission has given member states a number of options on how the CAP changes could be implemented in their countries. It is vital that UK farmers put forward their views on these historic changes for our industry.

“While we are still looking in detail at all the various options, we are extremely pleased at Defra's decision to implement decoupling in 2003 and to do so as completely as possible. This will help farmers focus on the market place.”

Topics