Subsidy delays ‘driving farmers to suicide’
Farmers are being driven to suicide by the ongoing fiasco which has left thousands of producers waiting months for their annual support payments.
Such is the depth of rural despair at continued problems with the Single Payment Scheme that at least two farmers have tried to kill themselves, the Rural Payments Agency has been warned.
Some farmers are still waiting to receive their full 2008 payment. A further 3500 are waiting for 2009 payments worth £100m.
In total, 33,000 farmers are waiting to be sent corrections so they can complete 2010 applications before next month’s deadline.
Payment delays, mapping mistakes, bureaucratic incompetence and poor customer service mean lives as well as livelihoods are being put at risk.
“It is not just about profit and loss – it is a matter of life and death,” warned Lincolnshire NFU chairman Jonathan Brant, who said he was physically and emotionally exhausted from trying to help farmers struggling to cope.
“When you have to go as county chairman and sit with farmers who are suicidal – one who has tried to hang himself and one who has threatened to shoot himself – you come away drained.”
One in four phone calls received by the Farm Crisis Network, a charity set up to support farming families, relates to frustration with the single payment. Many are from farmers who do not know where else to turn.
“We are receiving calls from people in varying states of distress,” said FCN chief executive Sarah Brown.
“Not all are suicidal – some are just plain frightened.”
The network had seen an upsurge in phone calls since the beginning of the year. Financial pressure due to SPS delays was one of the biggest issues.
RPA chief operations officer Steve Pearce admitted that data were still missing from SPS application sheets for 2010.
The farmers involved would be contacted individually and the situation resolved, he pledged.
All outstanding maps would be delivered to farmers by 1 May, with a backlog of 4000 waiting to be posted this week. “If any customer is being distressed by this, please do contact us,” said Mr Pearce.
Farmers have until 17 May to submit forms for a 2010 SPS payment. They then have until 1 June to add or subtract land from their applications.