In its response to the Farming Regulation Task Force report, otherwise known as the Macdonald report, the government made a commitment to ease the burden of information requests on farmers by stopping the collection of unnecessary data, avoiding the duplication of requests and sharing data across the Defra family more effectively.
And as part of this work, Defra wants to hear from the people that this really matters to - you.
They want to know what you think about the paperwork you currently have to complete, so they can look to make changes to reduce the administrative burden placed on farming businesses.
To help with this work, Defra is inviting farmers to attend a workshop, to gather your opinions and listen to your solutions to this perennial problem.
The workshop will be hosted at NFU headquarters (Stoneleigh, Warks) and will be split into sector-based discussions, with eight to ten spaces available for farmers in each sector.
It will consider areas such as:
• What are the top five most irksome requests for information that you receive?
• Do you know why you are asked to provide the information?
• Do you know what the information is used for?
• How much of your time is spent responding to information requests and to what extent do you think this is unnecessary?
Defra will use the information to inform its understanding of the current burdens on each farming sector, with the aim of streamlining processes so that, in the future, the minimum amount of necessary data is collected in the easiest possible way.
We really want to make this session count, so please come prepared to tell us what you think. You may be asked to undertake some brief pre-workshop activities, such as completing a tick-list of the paperwork you currently complete, or digging out your most hated form to discuss!
The workshop will take place at NFU’s headquarters in Stoneleigh on March 6 from 10:30am to 3pm. A sandwich lunch will be provided. Further details will be issued nearer the time.
Please contact Lee Osborne (email here) if you are interested in attending.
- Jeremy Chamberlayne - 02/02/2012
The RHI application seems to represent a new peak in the Red Tape mountains.