WEST Devon and Torridge MP Geoffrey Cox last week challenged the secretary of State for Defra, David Miliband, for not doing enough about farmers pay. In the House of Commons Mr Cox said Mr Miliband was not doing enough to ensure farmers are paid promptly after last year's 'fiasco' over the single payment scheme. In his statement, Mr Miliband revealed the 2006 payment timetable will suffer due to delays involved with the 2005 payments. The Rural Payments Agency cannot guarantee to deliver full payments within the 2006 payment window, and Mr Miliband said farmers would receive interim payments of 'more than 50%' of their eligible claims from February 2006 onwards. Mr Cox pressed the secretary of state to ensure farmers receive timely payments. He said: 'It is the Government's duty to get as much of it as possible to them as quickly as possible.' He asked what was meant by 'more than 50%' and urged the Government to clear up any ambiguity by setting a target sum for interim payments and to explain the criteria that would determine their account. Speaking after the statement, Mr Cox, said: 'It is essential that the problems of the 2005 single payments are not repeated for the 2006 scheme, and I am disappointed that the Government is only committing to partial payments from February. 'Farmers deserve to know the likely amount of their payments so that they can plan accordingly, and I will continue to press the Government to deliver payments as early as possible.'