Cross compliance failures cost more than £2m a year
Farm inspections uncovered more than 2,000 breaches of cross compliance rules in 2011, costing farmers over £2m in reductions to their direct payments, the Rural Payments Agency has revealed.
Figures released by the RPA on Monday 19 March show that 2,046 failures were found in 2011 – a slight increase on 2010.
The highest numbers of breaches were among cattle keepers for failing to report the deaths or movements of their animals.
An RPA spokeswoman said: “Across all agricultural sectors, but particularly for cattle and sheep farmers, failure to keep adequate records was a major cause.
“However, there was a drop in repeated breaches and intentional non-compliance plus fewer breaches of animal welfare rules and regulations on agricultural nitrate pollution risk.”
RPA operations director Paul Caldwell added: “The RPA will be working closely with the new Farming Advice Service and our stakeholders to support the industry in meeting the cross compliance rules for the 2012 scheme year and beyond.
“We would urge farmers to take a look at the list of common errors to ensure they avoid making the same mistakes.”
“The key risk areas are also highlighted in the Guide to Cross Compliance in England 2012 booklet which all farmers will have received earlier this year.
I would also urge them to read this and make sure they are aware of any changes that could affect their farms,” Mr Caldwell said.