Government promises annual improvements to farm payments

Some farmers are still waiting to receive EU payments from the Rural Payments Agency, three months after the payment window opened. IT failures in the application stage last year have slowed the process down, leaving some farmers relying on credit to keep livestock alive.

Assurances that the system will improve comes as the first part of the online application process for the next 12 months’ payments goes live.

In a report responding to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee’s annual review of Defra’s performance, the Government states: “This was the first year of the new complex CAP scheme. The Rural Payments service has been processing and paying full and accurate claims from the 1 December 2015 and we are confident that payment performance will improve year on year, as it did under the 2005–2014 CAP scheme.”

The Government also states that Defra will be a “trailblazer” as it embarks on a modernisation despite the department having to cut its administration budget by 26 per cent by 2019-20.

According to the report, increased capital investment will be used to improve science and animal and plant health capabilities, and, amongst other priorities, flood defences. Funding for flood defence maintenance is being protected in real terms, with flooding plans and budgets set to be developed for river catchments from July.

The report also states that a new rural ambassador role is being created to operate across departments to help allay concerns about a lack of ‘rural proofing’ of government policies.