‘Include premium on statement’

CATTLE PRODUCERS are being warned to amend their single farm payment scheme statements to include slaughter premium on stock sent away under the livestock welfare disposal scheme, which operated during the foot-and-mouth outbreak.

“Slaughter premia claims for these animals are not appearing on the information statements,” said Richard King, of farm business consultant Andersons.

“We are told by the Rural Payments Agency that this is because the payments, which were finally agreed in November 2003 after intense lobbying, were ex-gratia payments equal to the slaughter premium.

“But they were not considered to be slaughter premium, hence they are not being picked up by the system.

“However, it could also imply that the RPA is not planning to include them in the single farm payment calculation.

“The agency says it has not come to a decision, but it seems odd that, having backed down once, it would even consider excluding them.”

The payments were worth about £30 a head and affect about 162,000 cattle.

That could add a considerable sum to the historic element of a farm‘s single farm payment, he added.

An RPA spokeswoman said: “The RPA/DEFRA is investigating how ex-gratia payments should be dealt with as regards establishment of entitlement.

“As soon as we have completed this we will write to producers informing them of the decision.”