Tim Farron, Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale and Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Hill Farming has welcomed a statement from new Secretary of State for the Environment regarding Single Farm Payments, which commits the Department to paying interest to farmers paid after the cut-off date of June 30th 2007.
Local MP Tim Farron today gave a limited welcome to the announcement that Sainsbury's plan to raise the farm gate price it pays to farmers for milk, but has argued that one pence per litre is simply inadequate. Many farmers are currently facing financial difficulties and Sainsbury's decision is part of what they describe as their continued commitment to the dairy industry. However, the average prices paid to farmers for a litre of milk has dropped considerably over the last few years, from 20.43p in July 2001 to just 17.17p in July 2006. At the same time the price of milk has increased with the average supermarket mark up on milk almost tripling from 11% in 2002 to the current 30%, bearing no reflection on production costs which have not altered.
Local MP Tim Farron has welcomed the news that the proposed strike of Network Rail staff has been cancelled after an improved offer was made and accepted. Staff had threatened a two day walkout as a result of their bonuses being docked but the Rail Management and Transport union announced this afternoon that a deal had been reached. Services in Scotland and Cumbria would have been seriously affected by the strike.
Local MP Tim Farron is this morning cycling to work as part of Sustrans' Change Your World campaign. Tim has also supported the campaign, which aims to highlight the impact on our environment made by short car journeys, by proposing an Early Day Motion in the House of Commons.
Local MP Tim Farron is seeking a meeting with the Secretary of State for Transport to press the case for signs to the Yorkshire Dales at junction 37 of the M6 in the same way that signs have been provided to the Lake District at junction 36. His campaign has the support of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority.
On the day that local health trusts are expected to rubber stamp proposals to close the Coronary Care Unit at the Westmorland General Hospital, local MP Tim Farron has written to all GPs across his constituency to ask them in confidence for their opinions on the closure.