Farron urges Chancellor to create new Hill Farm apprenticeship scheme in the Budget

6.38.00pm GMT Tue 24th Mar 2009

Shadow Secretary of State for DEFRA Tim Farron MP has this morning called on the Chancellor of the Exchequer to put into the budget a hill farm apprenticeship scheme. The Hill Farm apprenticeship scheme will potentially build upon the skills and experience of farmers in our communities. Furthermore, it will allow young farmers to gain valuable business skills and learn from high quality local educators from the vocational and further education sector.

Tim stated: "Hill farming is in serious danger of disappearing from the UK altogether. I'd estimate that about 85% of all hill farmers have no likely successor when they retire. With the average age of hill farmers increasing each year, and in an industry which is dependent on children taking over the family business, this is a troubling trend.

"With funding at a premium, it's important that we redirect wasteful government spending to bring new energy into hill farming. The funds for this imaginative scheme can be found from redirecting £7 million from processing individual payouts under the Single Payment Scheme, some of which were only 70p! The money we would save by introducing a minimum threshold should be used to finance an apprenticeship scheme to provide the next generation of hill farmers.

Bringing in a minimum payment would continue to provide support to farmers; but would also enable us to divert some of the resources to other parts of the industry - such as hill farmers - who really need help."