Philip Dunne MP today backed Shadow Agriculture Minister Bill Wiggin's criticism of the Government for failing to improve delivery of Single Farm Payment (SFP) to England's farmers.Philip Dunne, MP for Ludlow, today backed Shadow Agriculture Minister Bill Wiggin's criticism of the Government for failing to improve delivery of Single Farm Payment (SFP) to England's farmers.

Last year DEFRA and the Rural Payments Agency failed to deliver SFP for 2005 to England's farmers as promised. This caused significant financial hardship to farmers. The Government was forced to provide for up to a £305 million fine from the European Commission.

Yet the Prime Minister promoted the Secretary of State responsible, Margaret Beckett, to the Foreign Office.

When appointing David Miliband to DEFRA last year, the Prime Minister wrote to him instructing "