Tory Attack On Rpa As 'Unmitigated Disaster' ; Pledge to Reform Quangos and Give More Power to Rural Communities

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AN unmitigated disaster with an abysmal track record that has no political accountability - that was the hard-hitting verdict on the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) delivered by the Conservative's leading spokesman on countryside affairs yesterday during a tour of Westcountry farms. In an exclusive interview with the Western Morning News, Nick Herbert, Shadow Environment Secretary, said his party was taking a "steely-eyed look" at all of the "quango" agencies that now operated under Defra.

"The RPA has been an unmitigated disaster for farmers and taxpayers alike - it's cost the taxpayer millions of pounds in fines that we've had to pay to the EU, and it has cocked up payments to farmers and continues to do so," said Mr Herbert as he toured an apple farm near Taunton.

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Tory Attack On Rpa As 'Unmitigated Disaster' ; Pledge to Reform Quangos and Give More Power to Rural Communities

"The Government refuses to take any political accountability for the operation of the agency and has yet again announced a revi...

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