Waiting, wondering and worrying over SFPs
“I’m one of 3,500,” said Single Business Identifier (SBI) No 13 to himself in an attempt to calm his raging paranoia.
He drove the tractor to the field headland, lifted the seed drill and power harrow, and turned to begin his next bout. His satellite-guided “mark” across the field was ruler straight and in pleasing contrast to the gently undulating contours of the downland. The spring sun was shining through the polished windows of the tractor cab but SBI No 13 shivered as if he were under a dark cloud.
Nearby, heavily pregnant ewes nibbled on the first shoots of nutritious spring grass. Their long coats showed brilliant white against the paint marks on their flanks – a red dot for singles, green for twins and blue for triplets. It was lucky that he’d decided to lamb late this year and was therefore likely to avoid the worst effects of Schmallenberg disease. He’d heard reports that later lambing flocks were much less likely to have been bitten by infected midges. Be that as it may, SBI No: 13 was unable to shake off his own malaise.
In the distance he could just make out the deep red coats of the South Devon suckler cows gathered around their ring feeders. Calving this year had gone without a hitch. “All those double-muscled Continentals breeds come at a price” he thought absently. “I’m glad I made the switch to the Sussex sire.” But no smile came to the face of SBI No 13.
They’d sent him a letter explaining that “Your claim is going through entitlement correction which mean that we are checking that all of your entitlements are correctly recorded” Checking what? Correctly recorded? SBI No 13 liked to think of himself as being as cross compliant as any farmer could be. He kept his paperwork, field margins and Soil Protection Review in good order. Since he’d received their letter he’d trawled through all the SFP guidance notes as bedtime reading. Scanning all those regulations had got him tossing and turning in his bed all night but he couldn’t see that he’d done anything wrong.
“It is currently too early for us to predict whether you are in the 65% entitlement correction claims we expect to pay within 21 weeks or if your case will take longer” the letter had gone on to say. “My case?” worried SBI No 13. That sounded serious; legal language – criminal even. But he hadn’t been charged with anything, had he? In 30 years he’d only ever had one “case” when his livestock trailer had been found to have inadequate brakes. (He’d put on a smart jacket and tie and even had a haircut before appearing in front of the magistrate. He’d pleaded guilty and relied on his previous impeccable record to keep the fine down to less than £600.)
He’d telephoned the number at the top of their letter perhaps a dozen times. No doubt his conversations were always recorded – for “training purposes and your own security”. The staff were always impeccably polite but, although he never seemed to be able to speak to the same person twice, the answer was always the same: ‘Payment of your claim is blocked until your case has been cleared’.
“But why is it blocked?” SBI No 13 would ask, trying to keep the desperation out of his voice. “Just tell me!”
“Entitlement corrections can sometimes be difficult to resolve,” was the reply.
The drilling was nearly done, a fine dust was rising above a perfect tilth, but SBI No 13 could gain no satisfaction from that – or anything else – until his “case” was finally resolved.
Stephen Carr runs an 800ha (1,950-acre) sheep, arable and beef farm on the South Downs near Eastbourne in partnership with his wife, Fizz. A third of the acreage is in conversion to organic status.
