Defra and the Welsh Government are consulting on increasing plant health fees by around 30%. The NFU is seeking feedback from members on the impact this would have on their businesses.
The APHA (Animal and Plant Health Agency) charges fees for the delivery of plant health services related to the import and export of plant material, and a range of other plant health schemes and services.
In the five years since the last fees review, costs have increased substantially, in part due to inflation, but largely due to APHA implementing increased import and export services that have become necessary because of the UK's exit from the EU.
Have your say
If your business pays fees for any APHA plant health services, your input to the public consultation is vital to ensure government understands the impact of the proposed changes.
The Defra and the Welsh Government consultation is available online with information on how to respond directly outlined in a letter.
Your response to the consultation is vital to make clear to government the impact of the proposed fee increases.
To help inform the NFU's response to the consultation, we need to hear from growers about the specific impacts of the fee increases on their businesses (using the increases detailed in Section 5 of the consultation), and the affordability of those increases.
What impact is a fee increase of around 30% going to have on your business? And what are your views on the level of plant health service provided by APHA and how this supports increases in fees?
If you wish to access the NFU feedback form, you can do so by clicking here.
Source: NFU Online