IACS 22 decision raises ELS fears

THE RURAL Payments Agency will stop prioritising IACS 22 forms submitted by farmers wanting to join the entry level scheme from Friday (Jul 15).

The agency has said it will process the 4000 forms already in its ESL priority queue but no more names will be added to the list from that date.

This is because the RPA has said it needs to shift its focus to making sure the Rural Land Register is up-to-date for single farm payment purposes.

The agency has claimed that it needs to make sure that as much land is registered as possible to make sure that its provisional entitlement calculation is accurate.

But the move has infuriated the NFU which has warned that it will hit uptake of the ELS among farmers.

NFU deputy president Peter Kendall has warned that farmers who find themselves outside of the priority queue may have to wait months before they are in a position to join the ELS.

*For more details of the move and the reaction to it see FARMERS WEEKLY out on Fri (Jul 15).