RHA slams level
Page 7
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of compensation
im by Miles Brignall and Dominic Perry
The Road Haulage Association has labelled the government's offer of financial aid to livestock hauliers hit by the foot-and-mouth crisis as "inadequate".
Chief executive Roger King delivered a letter this week to Michael Meacher, Environment Minister and head of the rural task force, on behalf of livestock hauliers—King says they are being forced out of business by the crisis.
Last week the task force announced that a further 115m was to be made available to help all rural businesses hit by the outbreak—but so far it has ruled out direct compensation apart from that offered to farmers. King says: "Although we welcome the financial assistance, a rate rebate on a yard or help with national insurance is not going to make an awful lot of difference to a business that is losing £4,000 a week.
"We need to get round the table with the minis ter and see if we can get targeted help for the livestock hauliers. It's no good just tossing 115m into a pot for the whole country."
Help is being offered through: • The rates system, including enhanced discretionary and mandatory rate relief; • The tax system, including deferment of tax and national insurance payments; • The DSS system, by making procedures as fast and flexible as possible.
The aid package complements £8m already given to Regional Development Agencies on 20 March, and the £120m extension of the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme announced on 6 April. It will target the hardest-hit areas including Devon, Cumbria and parts of the North-East and the Welsh Borders.
• Trading standards officers have confirmed that they are investigating 309 cases of alleged illegal livestock movements since the outbreak began; these are all believed to involve farmers rather than hauliers.