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Rt. Hon. Sir Alan Beith MPLiberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Berwick Upon TweedWorking for you and the Berwick upon Tweed Constituency all year roundin Northumberland and in Westminster |
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Beith slams "absurd and petty" ruling against helpers at agricultural shows
August 26, 2008 10:00 AM
Helpers driving tractors at the Glendale Show have been told they must spend time and money switching from red to white diesel.
Sir Alan Beith MP has slammed heavy-handed rules preventing farmers from helping out at agricultural shows unless they remove red diesel from their tractors and replace it with white diesel. Reports last week in the local press and Farmers Weekly said that farmers have helped to set up the Glendale Show near Wooler for decades but this year officials from HM Revenue and Customs told them not to use red diesel in their tractors as the lower-taxed fuel can only be used for agricultural purposes.
Sir Alan said
"I am taking this up with the Chancellor immediately. It is absurd and petty to demand that farmers helping out at agricultural shows should be expected to change from red to white diesel. This is a ridiculously rigid and timewasting application of the rules and I wonder where it will end. What about the farmer who pulls the stranded motorist out of a snowdrift - is he going to be told he should have changed his diesel before carrying out the rescue?
"It is time some common sense was applied to this issue.
"The very idea that Customs officials should be sent to village shows to check on tractor diesel suggests the Department has lost all sense of priorities."
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