RPA pays 93 per cent of farmers ahead of schedule

The much-maligned Rural Payments Agency has announced that it has now paid 93 per cent of farmers their direct support payments - more than two months ahead of its end of March target.
Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom said the focus remained on paying those farmers who have not yet been paid.Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom said the focus remained on paying those farmers who have not yet been paid.
Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom said the focus remained on paying those farmers who have not yet been paid.

More than 80,000 farmers in England have now received their 2016 Basic Payment Scheme money, the Agency said.

The payments are worth £1.48 billion and include a range of claim types and sizes, including cross-border, young farmer, those inspected and farmers with common land.

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It is the second time in a row that the Agency has met its targets, having delivered on its promise to pay 90 per cent of farmers by the end of December.

The annual payment window opened on December 1 and the performance represents a vast improvement on last year when a botched online applications process led to severe delays and miscalculations which are still being resolved now.

Environment Secretary Andrea Leadsom said: “I know how important these payments are to farmers and I am pleased that the RPA is ahead of schedule meeting their target of making 93 per cent of payments well before the end of March.

“This is good progress. However I am very clear that the Agency will remain fully focussed on paying all remaining eligible claims as quickly as possible.”

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Paul Caldwell, BPS operational delivery director at the Rural Payments Agency, said: “We know how much these payments matter to farmers and the progress made so far underlines our commitment to getting money into bank accounts as quickly as possible.

“We’ve worked hard to make sure farmers receive their payments, but we know there is still more work to do. I remain absolutely focused on ensuring the Agency continues to pay every eligible claim.”

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