IMPORTANT - Nothing for the Weekend Sir?

[WeaverII]

More bullsh1t from a Brussels, made worse by Whitehall this time :rolleyes: .

There's an on-line petition to sign at the end of this. Well worth doing. Unfortunately, the petition site appears to be down at the moment: please try again later.

MAG PRESS RELEASE

Nothing for the Weekend Sir?

Issued 29th April 2005

What will you be doing this weekend? Well the Department for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs (Defra) has said to thousands of motor–sport enthusiasts they will not be participating or spectating at off-road events, such as grass-track racing, trials, enduros and motocross, on fields that farmers have used for generations.

The threat is real with over 180 events already having been cancelled. The threat to these non permanent events is because of the way the Government has introduced a new method of paying agricultural subsidies. Defra has told farmers they will not qualify for an EU farm payment if they allow their land to be used for motor sports.

The new farm subsidy scheme is called the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) and replaced the Common Agricultural Policy. The new scheme pays farmers for the land they own and not what they produce.

As ever the UK government has gold plated a European Directive without consulting the people that their decision affects. The directive on agricultural subsidises does not prohibit motorsports on land appropriate for SPS.

Thus by holding farmers and landowners to ransom without proper guidance DEFRA has shown it is a department out of control.

MAG says the solution is simple, DEFRA should revise its guidelines to reflect the European Directive and the department must consult the governing bodies of the sport, the Autocycle Union (ACU), and the Land Access and Recreation Association (LARA), set up to co-ordinate the defense of motor sport and recreation.

MAG Director Of Public Affairs, Trevor Baird, says, “You can support your right to spectate by completing the online petition (www.petitiononline.com/som/) voicing your opposition to legislation that threatens the very heart of grassroots motorsport in Britain.”



Ends.



Notes:



1. Full details available at http://www.network.mag-uk.org/Off%20Road%20Motorsport0405.pdf



2. ACU www.acu.org.uk – LARA - www.laragb.org



Issued by



Trevor Baird
Director Of Public Affairs



MAG UK
PO BOX 750
Rugby
CV21 3ZR



Tel: +44 (0)870 444 8 448
Fax: +44 (0)870 444 8 449
Email public-affairs@mag-uk.org



The UK's Leading Riders' Rights Organisation



www.mag-uk.org

[kitkatman]

what next ( shakin his head ) what bloody next....

[Sir Ewok]

Went to sign but just get 'Page cannot Be Displayed'.......
Will try direct from MAG E-mail...

[Dexxie]

Signed!

Where would Steve Colley, Dougie Lampkin et al be now without these early races???? (Trials Champions (1 Manx 1 English) for those not in the know)

I also know Michael Rutter enjoyed a few off road races and stuff when he was younger - don't quote me but I think he learned from lots of off-road experience (as in how to fall off if you have to etc!) - he used to bring his off road bike with knobbly tyres here when his Dad was racing (that last bit is fact!)

[Dougie]

Signed! Used to go to grass track & scrambles meets when I was a kid,be a crime if we lost that kinda thing.

[ForestFred]

Signed whose to say they wont use simaler legislation to ban rallies :(

[Dougie]

Thinkin' that maself!

[Freak]

I think someone's got there wires crossed here.

It's a bit complex (Believe me, half the farmers are struggling with the paperwork) but I'll try to explain it.

The Single Payment Scheme (SPS) replaces various other payment schemes including old land management schemes and those that used to pay farmers for mass production of certain foods (crop subsidies).
This new scheme pays farmers entirely for land management and is aimed at encouraging farms to be far more environmentally diverse so therefore the SPS has different levels of payment for each farm (Single Farm Payment) depending on how diverse they are.

To recieve the highest level of Single Farm Payment (SFP) a farm has to score a number of points.
These points are given for various environmental progects like grass strips around arable fields, wider hedgerows, wildflower areas. natural woodland etc

Motorsport is not particularly environmentally friendly I think everyone will agree, so therefore no surprise really that points will not be awarded towards the SFP on land used for this purpose.

It doesn't mean the farmers wont get their subsidy period, it will just lower their points tally overall for the farm. They can always score more points in another field (no pun intended) to qualify for the higer level of payment by providing grass strips around arable fields, creating wider hedgerows, wildflower areas. natural woodland etc (which is what it's all about anyway) but this could cost the farmer money because it means taking land out of production (they still get paid for their crops aswell dont forget).

See, told you it was complicated, but it does mean most of the article is very misleading as there are ways around this. The landowners are probably still working through the paperwork trying to work out the rules and regulations.

[WeaverII]

Freak: you're right, it is complicated and everyone is currently grappling with the ins and outs of the legislation. However, if you go to the full information link: http://www.network.mag-uk.org/Off%20Road%20Motorsport0405.pdf there are several much longer documents that go into the legal/regulatory issues in more detail. The one from LARA is particularly detailed.

Basically, the argument is that DEFRA have themselves mis-interpreted the EU ruling with respect to the definition of non-agricultural use, and that they may not have appreciated the effect that their interpretation may have. Given that the various motorsport bodies are currently negotiating with them on this issue, a petition showing the level of concern it generates can only help us get a better outcome.

[Spike]

Signed..........

[Freak]

Freak: you're right, it is complicated and everyone is currently grappling with the ins and outs of the legislation. However, if you go to the full information link: http://www.network.mag-uk.org/Off%20Road%20Motorsport0405.pdf there are several much longer documents that go into the legal/regulatory issues in more detail. The one from LARA is particularly detailed.

Basically, the argument is that DEFRA have themselves mis-interpreted the EU ruling with respect to the definition of non-agricultural use, and that they may not have appreciated the effect that their interpretation may have. Given that the various motorsport bodies are currently negotiating with them on this issue, a petition showing the level of concern it generates can only help us get a better outcome.

Yes I totally agree
But I think it will all settle down and return to normal
Farmers are trying to get in on the scheme (entry level) without any outlay.
Give it 12 months and the means to overcome the problems will become apparent.
You can ask 20 different departments of DEFRA the same question and get 20 different answers.
It will all settle down once everyone gets their head around the new rulings and regulations but a bit of pressure in the right places wont do any harm.
It is after all a massive change.

PS I cant get your links to work

[Blue]

It's a bit complex (Believe me, half the farmers are struggling with the paperwork) but I'll try to explain it.

.

The sheer complexity of the paperwork - and DEFRA's complete inability to answer questions as Neath MCC found when it was unsuccessfully trying to save the first round of this year's British Trials Championship - will mean that many landowners will decide it's easier not to hold motorsports events than to try and fight their way through the paperwork. Since the introduction of the new guidelines just a few weeks ago almost 200 motorsports events have already been cancelled.

I've written about this in the latest issue of BSH, and the labyrinthine paperwork and sheer autonomous arrogance of DEFRA is breath-taking.

[WeaverII]

Freak - you may well be right, but it's causing a lot of grief in the meantime, and DEFRA and the government don't deserve cutting any slack for yet again, for the nth time, producing a piece of ill-thought-out, badly drafted legislation. :mad:

Regarding links, the link in my last post works fine for me, asa does the petition one. The last link (the more detailed document) is a .pdf file, so you'll need Acrobat Reader to read it. You can download Acrobat free: just do a Google search for it.

[BlackPig]

Having read the article (page 7, 100%Biker )I did a bit of snoopin' and the only country that seems to have this problem is the UK !!

The "directive" comes from your beloved Labour gouvernement,via DEFRA,who as it happens seem to be fighting against themselves !! :confused:

[Freak]

Regarding links, the link in my last post works fine for me, asa does the petition one. The last link (the more detailed document) is a .pdf file, so you'll need Acrobat Reader to read it. You can download Acrobat free: just do a Google search for it.

Sorry, you are quite right. Acrobat Reader is now instaled so I've got the LARA document printed off now. I'm going to have a read through it over the next couple of days and also put it in front of some people I know to see whst they make of it.

What this situation desparately needs in the mean time is a derogation until
all parties interests are resolved and a new or modified regulation can be applied.
Maybe thats just too easy for DEFRA to impliment :mad:

[BikerGran]

Maybe thats just too easy for DEFRA to impliment

It is a government department.

:rolleyes:

[WeaverII]

Story about this on Radio 4 in next half hour.

[slob]

..I signed..