Press Release - Minister making major mistake says NBA

MINISTER MAKING MAJOR MISTAKE SAYS NBA
REGIONAL farm minister Michelle Gildernew is being urged to rethink her decision to axe DARD supply chain development branch along with rural development advisors.

National Beef Association Chairman Oisin Murnion has asked the Minister to reconsider the decision to axe this excellent front line service as a consequence of DARD’s cost cutting measures.

“By axing the Supply chain development branch along with rural enterprise advisors, it would be striking a fatal blow to the many small farming businesses that will see even more rural development millions returned to the EU unused,” Oisin said. “Without their expertise small farm businesses will not even attempt to access money on offer under Axis 2 and 3.

“This includes money the Minister moved from Axis 1 through modulation only to leave it so entangled in DARD red tape that professional help is required to access it!   Funds that should have been pump priming rural businesses a year ago and helping alleviate the impact of the recession have been held back by Dundonald House asking applicants and unpaid rural partnership committees to jump through ever more complicated rings of red tape!

 “Rather than chop the supply chain development branch and rural development advisors, the NBA urges Minister Gildernew to remove this dead hand of DARD bureaucracy strangling rural development and instead keep front line staff in place to help rural dwellers draw down Axis 2 and 3 funding.”

Continuing the County Down beef producer said, the vast amount of Rural Development Projects funded to date has been achieved by expert guidance and help from the rural development advisors and without their help many of the projects would not have seen the light of day because most micro businesses would not get involved in the mind numbing, time consuming process to draw down this valuable and beneficial EU RD funding.  

“The NBA is adamant rural development advisors are critical to establishing and maintaining micro businesses in the rural community. These advisors must continue to play a vital role in getting EU funding into even the most deprived rural districts. 

 “Modulation, taking funds from Single Farm Payments into rural development, left Ulster farmers at a disadvantage to those in other regions of the UK. Now the Minister seems set on ensuring country dwellers cannot even access this missing SFP money from the Rural Development Programme.”

 “The NBA urges our NI regional minister for agriculture and rural development to reconsider her decision, urgently, or at least to have a proper consultation on the impact of losing these supply chain management and rural enterprise advisors.”

For Info:
Contact: NBA Chairman, Oisin Murnion: Tel: 02841 765082, Mobile: 07739 632048