More flexibility for SFP

FARMERS WANTING to challenge their estimated historic single farm payment now have more flexibility after a recent ruling from Brussels.

The original guidance note for the estimates had been sent out to producers in the various UK regions over the past two months.

It allowed farmers to apply to drop one or more of the reference years (2000-2002) from the calculation if they felt unforeseen circumstances or agri-environmental schemes had reduced support payments during that period.

If all three years were affected, 1997-1999 could be chosen as a new reference period.

But after clarification by the European Commission, this provision can now be applied to individual support schemes if preferred, rather than an entire year of subsidy payments.

Under the amended regulations, for example, a mixed farm hit by foot-and-mouth during 2001 might want to drop livestock support payments from its calculations for that year, but keep the aid payments from an arable enterprise that wasn‘t affected and performed well.

Despite this added complexity, Richard King of farm business consultant Andersons welcomed the move.

“Taking out a whole year was a bit of a blunt instrument. Now you can focus on the bits of the business that were affected.”

Farmers who had already returned their forms and wanted to change them in the light of the new regulations could do so by e-mailing or writing to their local RPA office, said a spokeswoman.