Farm pay plunges as Defra chiefs pocket over £100,000

The new figures, uncovered in Parliament by a Yorkshire MP, come just days after it emerged that around a third of British farmers are now earning less than the minimum wage, as fears about low rural pay continue to grow.

In stark contrast, Government data shows that in the Environment Agency alone, there are three employees earning more than the £142,500 basic annual salary of David Cameron, and 14 more earning over £100,000.

In total across the Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs there are 45 staff collecting six-figure salaries.

A spokeswoman for the National Farmers’ Union said: “The salary levels enjoyed by some Defra officials are, sadly for farmers, in stark contrast with incomes across the rest of the agricultural sector, where many people work very long hours in a volatile market place which is often out of their control, for far less financial reward.

“Farms are independent, predominantly family-run units whose income depends in significant part on how efficiently their commercial business is run, and considering the heavy regulatory burden they have to grapple with, it’s a shame this principle is not applied more widely to Defra and its agencies.”

The revelation comes despite repeated pledges by the Conservatives while in opposition – and since coming to power as part of the coalition – to bring down spiralling levels of senior pay within Government.

Only last month the Yorkshire Post revealed that the Treasury has signed off nearly 200 public sector salaries higher than that of the Prime Minister since the last election.

Leeds North East MP Fabian Hamilton, who uncovered the latest figures about Defra via a written Parliamentary question, said successive Governments have allowed top-level Civil Service pay to spiral.

“We have had high pay inflation because of this argument, which I think is false to some extent, that you have to pay the going rate of the commercial sector to get people of calibre and quality.

“That argument forgets that a lot of people go into Government because they believe in public service. Of course they want a good wage – everybody does – but this is taxpayers’ money.

“It’s not just upsetting for farmers, it’s upsetting for the self-employed and many others.

“I ran a business for the best part of 20 years and of course I never paid myself anything like these sorts of wages.”

The latest figures show that two “core” Defra staff, three Environment Agency executives and one senior figure at the under-fire Rural Payments Agency are paid £142,500 or more.

Among the 39 paid more than £100,000 but below £142,500 are 14 Environment Agency staff, 10 at Defra, four at Kew Gardens and three at the Rural Payments Agency.

Statistics released by Defra earlier this month stated 31 per cent of farmers in the UK take returns of less than £6.08 per hour, though lengthy hours mean the true picture is likely to be markedly worse.

A Defra spokesman said: “Salaries for all senior staff are in accordance with public sector pay policy.

“Senior staff salaries are set at a level to enable the department to recruit and retain the right people with the right experience and skills.”

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