SP5 still confuses

FARM CONSULTANTS have said there are still question marks over parts of the single farm payment form (SP5).

But an update to the guidance notes for the paperwork has been issued by the Rural Payments Agency and should soon be hitting doormats.

It includes clarification of some common queries, including correct crop codes to use for set-aside.

Francis Mordaunt of consultant Andersons said: “We can now complete most of our clients‘ forms, but there are some fundamental questions that have yet to be answered.”

These included who would actually own entitlements where, for example, land was farmed by two companies, but DEFRA said only one claim should be submitted.

Aubourn‘s Philip Wynn said: “It is only a matter of weeks before the deadline and we are still looking for clarification.”

Mr Wynn said it was still not clear whether footpaths across arable fields had to be deducted from field areas on the field datasheets.

Part of the problem, he added, was that conflicting advice was being issued by the RPA‘s phone helpline.

Mr Mordaunt agreed and said he knew of farmers who had each been told to use a different code for their set-aside.

In Suffolk, Chris Leney of Robinson & Hall‘s Ipswich office said where doubt still existed he was making “fair assumptions” backed up in detail with a covering letter.

“We have given up hope of contacting the RPA.”