RPA issues payments update for farmers in England
© Tim Scrivener The Rural Payments Agency has confirmed that 97% of eligible farmers in England have received their final BPS 2023 payment.
So far, more than 91,000 applications have been completed across the 2023 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), Countryside Stewardship (CS) and Environmental Stewardship (ES) schemes.
Meanwhile, about 850 farmers whose Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreements started in October and November have now received their accelerated agreement, worth around 25% of its annual value.
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Those whose agreements started on 1 December are set to receive their payment in the coming days.
Delinked payments are due to replace the BPS in England in 2024 and will run until the end of 2027.
These will be based on the average BPS payment made to the business for the 2020 to 2022 scheme years and will see progressive reductions applied to payments calculated each year before direct payments are phased out completely by the end of 2027.
To be eligible for delinked payments, farmers must have claimed and been eligible for BPS 2023.
RPA chief executive Paul Caldwell said: “Delinked payments will provide financial support over the next four years as we encourage farmers and land managers to enter our Environmental Land Management schemes where they will be paid to take actions that will support sustainable food production while protecting the environment.”
Cyber crime threat
Meanwhile, Defra has reminded farmers to stay vigilant to the threat of fraudsters who may seek to take advantage of busy farmers at a time when payments are being issued.
In particular, farmers should be wary of fraudsters trying to convince them to reveal their bank account details and make payments over the telephone. Contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 for advice and to register your concern.
Lfass payments start to roll for Scots farmers
Scottish farmers and crofters working in remote areas with restrictions on their land are set to receive essential income support.
The latest tranche of Scottish government funding from the Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (Lfass) started to land in bank accounts this week.
More than £56m in support has been given to over 9,000 claimants, representing 94% of those eligible to receive the funding. More than 92% of the anticipated payments for the scheme are set to be distributed.
Scottish rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon said the payments would give farmers and crofters “much needed financial certainty” following a challenging year for the agricultural sector.
“Uncertainties caused by Brexit, recent extreme weather events and the effects of the ongoing cost of living crisis have continued to hit our communities,” she added.