Agencies aim to beat records on farm payments
Single farm payments will appear in farm bank accounts from Monday (3 December) as the government strives to ensure more farmers receive their money sooner.
But how quickly an individual farmer is paid will depend largely on location and whether the claim in question is straightforward or more complicated – as well as the luck of the draw.
In England, the Rural Payments Agency plans to have paid 91% of farmers by the end of December. This is expected to equate to 84% of the total value. Having beaten its targets last year, agency officials are said to be quietly confident the goal will be achieved.
A special effort will be made to ensure dairy producers are among the first to be paid. This follows a pledge made by former farm minister Jim Paice during the summer milk price crisis. The agency said the move would not delay payments to other farmers.
In Wales, 91% of payments will be made during the coming week – equivalent to £213m reaching farmers’ pockets. The target is an improvement of 3% on last year. More than 15,000 claims have already been processed for payment.
Officials in Scotland were unable to tell Farmers Weekly the targets for farms north of the border. Last year, 75% of payments were made within the first 15 days. “Our goal is always to pay as high a proportion as we can as early as we can,” said a Scottish government spokeswoman.
In Northern Ireland, this year’s single payment will be worth around £245m to local farmers. The first payments will be credited to farmers’ bank accounts around 7 December, with a target of 80% of 37,600 claims to be made by the end of the month.
Farmers likely to face a longer wait include those who have had on-farm inspections, those with land eligibility concerns and changes to farm maps that require investigation, and more complex assessments that take time to complete.