Single payments will be on time, DEFRA vows

This year’s single farm payments will not be affected by the Rural Payments Agency’s latest mapping fiasco, DEFRA has vowed.

Following a meeting with RPA chief executive Tony Cooper on Thursday (9 July), Food and farming minister Jim Fitzpatrick said he was confident farmers would receive their 2009 single payments without any problems.

“Tony Cooper and I will be meeting once a week until this is resolved,” Mr Fitzpatrick said.

“The RPA will continue to hold regular meetings with the NFU and other industry bodies and is working with them to support farmers through this process.”

Mr Fitzpatrick said it was important farmers who had already received their maps confirmed they were correct or sent the maps back so that any problems could be identified early.

“I assure all farmers that we are taking this problem seriously and that we’re determined to sort it out,” he added.