Time to reform Common Agricultural Policy – Lords EU Committee
The House of Lords EU Committee has today published a report investigating what needs to be done to boost the resilience of the farming sector in the face of challenges such as volatile prices. It calls on the European Commission to reform the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) to primarily support the provision of public goods, […]
NFU and CLA urge Secretary of State to prioritise urgent action on BPS
NFU and CLA have today written to the Defra Secretary of State Liz Truss MP to encourage her to urgently take a public and proactive role in leading the response to criticisms of the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme and the consequences for 2016. With financial hardship cases mounting, anxiety rising among BPS claimants, farmers expressing […]
Thousands of farmers and agents submit 2016 BPS applications early using online system
Over 2,000 applications for 2016 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) have been completed and submitted so far, using the online Rural Payments service, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) announced today (30 March). The RPA is encouraging farmers and agents to apply online now, so that they submit their applications in good time, ahead of the May […]
2015 Basic Payment Scheme update
Over 72,700 farmers (almost 84% of all eligible claims) have now received their 2015 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments, bringing the total paid out for the 2015 scheme to £1.15 billion. Farmers have said they would benefit from more certainty regarding when they will receive their payment. Last week the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) started […]
Agricultural wages reform could prove a headache for cash-strapped farm businesses
New wages reform may help staff moral but they are another headache for farm businesses in the current economic climate, says Mark Morison, Partner at Berrys in Shropshire. April 1 will see the introduction of the Government’s New Living Wage in England. All workers aged 25 and over, who are not in their first year […]
AAT members added to approved list for active farmers to benefit from Basic Payment Scheme
Accountants holding membership of the Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) are now able to complete forms on behalf of ‘active farmers’ who qualify for the Basic Payments Scheme (BPS), the Government has announced. The BPS is the biggest of the European Union’s rural grants and payments to help the farming industry, and can be applied […]
Start your 2016 Basic Payment Scheme application now
Farmers and agents can now log in to the Rural Payments Service to begin the application process for the 2016 Basic Payment Scheme, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) announced today (7 March 2016). Claimants can check and change their personal and business details, including keeping email addresses accurate and up-to-date. New for 2016 Farmers and […]
FUW reiterates desperate need for farm payment release
The FUW has reiterated its concerns for the agricultural industry regarding the delay in issuing Basic Payment Scheme and agri-environmental payments to farmers in a letter to Deputy Minister for Food and Farming Rebecca Evans – warning that many in the industry are now facing extreme financial difficulty. FUW President Glyn Roberts, said: “Over the […]
BPS 2015 payments continue to flow to farmers in England
66,800 farmers in England (77%) had been paid their 2015 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payment by the end of January. The announcement from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) means that over £1 billion of an estimated total fund of £1.43 billion has now been paid out for 2015. The RPA has also confirmed timings indicating […]
