Off Road Motor Sport To Be Banned

[RVW]

Just received this from Basil Wales some of you may know him.

Words fail me What the F***K is this country coming to

You may have already seen the following alarming news but in the run-up to the election you may wish to take some action to safeguard our sport. Please copy and pass on to anyone you know who could be affected. Kind regards, Basil

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Please read and sign the on line petition

PRESS RELEASE

First motor sport events cancelled as campaign grows to overturn new DEFRA regulations

The Motor Sports Association (MSA) has received notification of the first cancellations of motor sport events as a direct result of legislation imposed by the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA).

DEFRA's decision to stop subsidies to farmers who allow part of their land to be used, even temporarily, for any form of motor sport has threatened to destroy more than 40% of 4-wheeled grassroots motor sport in the UK as well as 4,000 off-road motor cycle meetings.

The first events to fall victim to the legislation include sporting trials, autograss racing and 4x4 events that had been due to take place on rural farm land, but there are fears that these are just the tip of the iceberg.

The media campaign to overturn the legislation is gathering momentum and reflects the serious nature of the threat posed by DEFRA's actions.

Auto Express magazine estimates that nearly 50,000 competitors and officials will be directly hit by the new ruling, with as many as 250,000 spectators, families and service crews also affected. "There will be a knock-on effect on garages, local B&Bs and other rural businesses," 4x4 event organiser Chris Tomley told the magazine.

Motorsport News has started its own campaign to save Britain's grassroots motor sport. It urges everyone to sign up to its petition at www.petitiononline.com/som, and quotes trials multi-champion Julian Fack: "As we see it, this could be the death of sporting trials. This is devastating news."

Elsewhere in the paper, MSA Chief Executive Colin Hilton has written: "This is a fundamental threat to motor sport and we need everyone to join the campaign. The time for taking it on the chin is over; we now have to fight for our sport." The full text of his article can be found on the MSA website, www.msauk.org, in the News section, as can previous press releases.

Editor's notes:
The Single Payment Scheme (SPS) replaces the Common Agricultural Policy and now pays farmers for the land they own, not what they produce. The European Directive on agricultural subsidies does not prohibit motor sports on land eligible for SPS. However, the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has taken the decision, without consultation, to stop these payments to UK landowners if agricultural land is used, even temporarily, for motor sport.

Release MSA05-026: 20 April 2005

Issued on behalf of the Motor Sports Association by MPA Media Limited

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[Harpo]

It's the thin end of the wedge.

Next it will be ANY track event, then fishing etc etc etc...

And don't think that all you stamp collectors are outside the gaze of the nanny state that we regretfully inhabit.

[RVW]

Think its more than the thin end more likely the middle bit of the wedge
Anything that is enjoyed by common man seems to be under threat from some indescribable morons

Mountain bikers will be next, if not mistaken they use farm land for their sport.

You have just got to work out if DEFRA are Labour>>Conservative>>Lib Dem or what ever

[Tom B]

Quote: Originally Posted by Harpo

It's the thin end of the wedge.

Next it will be ANY track event, then fishing etc etc etc...

And don't think that all you stamp collectors are outside the gaze of the nanny state that we regretfully inhabit.

So true. These people who just cannot tolerate others having fun, particularly with motorized vehicles, always need a target. When they're finished with dirt bikes, they'll soon be scouting about for a new "enemy of the state". And one day, they will get to those no good, glue licking, stamp collecting hooligans.

Sounds like you need a good revolution. Ask your friends across the pond.....we've got experience.

[Cooper76]

Quote: Originally Posted by Tom B

Sounds like you need a good revolution. Ask your friends across the pond.....we've got experience.

And the British don't?!

Seriously, will this affect WRC as well???!

[Paul]

So, I don't understand.

If you let people run motorsport on your land, you don't get paid for THAT, or you don't get paid AT ALL?

I'm not sure how this all works anyway with farmers getting paid for owning land that isn't used (is that right)? Can I get a bit for my garden?

Any further reading on how/why this all works?

Can the motorsport people pay the farmers to use the land? We have to pay quite a lot to do track days?

Maybe this will lead to more organised off-road events and venues instead?

As you may have guessed, I have a lack of knowledge of farming and off-roading. Combined this makes this subject very confusing to me!

[rentagas]

OK
I may have misread this but farmers get "set aside" money from the Government via the EEC so that they don't produce more food, hence prices are kept uncompetitively high and at the same time imports are prevented from more efficient countries eg the US etc. We pay twice, once for the set aside and then for the greater prices at the supermarket.

Farmers have tried to use their land productively so that they can still use their land for profit and yet still receive these subsidies. eg make ice cream from cow milk rather than sell the milk.

This subsidy is so huge that it is no longer economical to rent out a field to people for motorsport if the subsidy on that field is put at risk.

Are farmers trying to have their cake (paid for by me and you) and eat an entirely different cake?

What with banning foxhunting and this whatever next? They may have to grow things!

(And yes I know land has to be rested, I also know about rural poverty, I live in a rural village but I do know some very, very rich "farmers")

There are many industries that from time to time feel wronged, they try to play a political game by manipulating pressure groups. They take an example like this to justfy vast subsidies and then claim that it will end e.g rural life as we know it. I'm still waiting for the market for large houses with 10 acres of land to plummet following the death of foxhunting as predicted would happen. I am sure this is the same thing and of course less subsidies means that farmers might be MORE willing to rent out their land.

[ABG]

I agree that this story seems to be about farmers not getting paid subsidies and NOTHING to do with stopping motorsport.

So if you think this is "madness" and therefore want taxes to increase so that the EU can continue to pay farmers subsidies for non farming use of their land then I would guess you need to vote Lib-Dem.

[ButtonIt]

Ray, did you mean to leave your mates name and phone number on the post?

[RVW]

Quote: Originally Posted by ButtonIt

Ray, did you mean to leave your mates name and phone number on the post?

Thanks Chris
Dont hink it would have made any difference but removed it any way

[Mini-Trainer]

Quote: Originally Posted by RVW

Think its more than the thin end more likely the middle bit of the wedge
Anything that is enjoyed by common man seems to be under threat from some indescribable morons

Mountain bikers will be next, if not mistaken they use farm land for their sport.

You have just got to work out if DEFRA are Labour>>Conservative>>Lib Dem or what ever

Vote BNP!!!!

What a ruling jesus man can they leave nothing alone, those ******s in Parliment