Facts on farming

The farmers concerned can count themselves to be fortunate – given the high staff turnover rate at this living memorial to New Labour

management failure.

The departing staff clearly have no confidence in the RPA's future and voted with their feet. You cannot blame them.

Yet the Agency's self-congratulation neglected the fact that 12,800 farmers have still not received their subsidies on time – around 12 per cent of claimants.

At this rate, it will be at least another five years before the backlog is cleared – justification, if any was needed, for staff to be offered a bonus if they ensure the prompt payment of all subsidies by 2012 at the latest.

It might just be the incentive that some workers require to get to grips with this embarrassment, rather than simply leaving it to others –and compelling farmers to pay the price for years of systemic failure that was not of their own making.