Payments nearly over the line

Following months of waiting that pushed farmers’ finances to the limit, and beyond, the RPA confirmed that more than 7,000 farmers have now been paid ‘bridging payments’ which amount to around 50 per cent of their likely Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) claim for 2015.

Together with over 90 per cent of farmers who have received a full BPS payment, all eligible farmers have now received a payment.

Mark Grimshaw, the RPA’s chief executive, said: “These payments have been made by the end of April, as promised, to help remaining applicants facing financial pressures.”
Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss updated MPs in the House of Commons about the figures this week but the farmers who have received just a portion of their payments may have to wait for weeks longer to be paid in full. Miss Truss said the outstanding payments were “on track” to be paid by the end of June - the final month of the payment window.

Meanwhile, as of today, thousands of farmers have nine days left to submit their applications for 2016 payments - the majority of which will be paid on the first day of the December 1 window, the RPA has promised.

Mr Grimshaw said: “With around 55 per cent of anticipated 2016 claims already submitted or underway, we are helping those still to apply to meet the May 16 deadline.

“All farmers should complete their application before the deadline even if they are waiting for the balance of the 2015 payment. Once verified, the system will automatically update their claim with any new information.”

The European Union has granted permission for member states to extend the application deadline for BPS 2016 by one month, to 15 June, but despite pleas from the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA), the Government’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, said there are no plans to change the deadline, as they fear this could cause unnecessary delays in payments being made.

George Dunn, chief executive of the TFA, said: “The problems of 2015 are continuing to cast a dark shadow over the workload for 2016 and we must provide both the RPA and BPS applicants in England a breathing space to get the work done to a good standard.”

After the RPA came in for criticism from farmers and politicians for IT failures that lead to the 2015 payment delays, in March, Mr Grimshaw told MPs at a meeting of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee that at least 90 per cent of farmers would be paid when the next payments round opens in December.