The Transition Plan – the future of agriculture in England

The Transitional Plan, announced on Monday,  formally moves the agricultural responsibilities from the EU Commission to Defra. This is the first piece of post Brexit legislation. This policy will be shaped by decisions made in Whitehall and will no longer need to be negotiated with 27 member states. For example, a more proportionate approach to […]

Posted on December 2nd, 2020 by

WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THE BASIC PAYMENT SCHEME?

In this blog Mike Cluley gives a very brief summary of the main points of the new Agricultural Bill that is passing through parliament so that consideration can be given as to what businesses should expect and the things that they should consider with the likely changes to future farm payments. Agricultural policy in the […]

Posted on March 4th, 2020 by

BASIC PAYMENT SCHEME 2020 AND CROP DIVERSIFICATION UPDATE

Despite the persistent inclement weather, spring is “technically” here and the BPS season is only just around the corner. Mike Cluley takes a quick look at the Basic Payment Scheme 2020 with a particular focus on what the options are to comply with the Crop Diversification rules under Greening given the consistent wet weather which […]

Posted on March 4th, 2020 by

BASIC PAYMENT SCHEME 2017 ENTITLEMENT VALUES UP APPROX 7%

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has just announced the 2017 Basic Payment Scheme entitlement values in advance of the BPS 2017 Payment window which starts on the 1st December. As a result of both the exchange rate (set as an average over September) and a slight increase in value of the the basic and greening […]

Posted on November 20th, 2017 by

BPS 2018: CHANGES TO ‘GREENING’ RULES IN ENGLAND

  Here is an update to the Greening Rules for 2018 as the RPA have made some significant changes to the options available for Ecological Focus Areas. Ban on the Use of Plant Protection Products on Land Used as Ecological Focus Areas A ban on the application of PPP’s applies to land to be used […]

Posted on October 12th, 2017 by

Inspection Alert: Most common reasons for BPS penalties

Cross compliance rules need to be followed all year round and with Inspectors able to arrive at farms unannounced farmers need to be prepared to ensure they are not risking their Basic Payment. When it comes to farm inspections one of the most important points is to never refuse access. Preventing an Inspector from carrying […]

Posted on November 16th, 2016 by

BPS UPDATE

BPS update

As you will be aware, we are fast approaching the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) application window for 2016. In light of this and of the difficulties experienced by the RPA for the 2015 BPS application this is an update on the current BPS situation. 2015 BPS CLAIMS The RPA estimate that over 70% of claimants […]

Posted on February 17th, 2016 by

BPS payments 2015

RPA TO START TO MAKE BPS PAYMENTS FROM 1ST DECEMBER   We understand that he RPA has confirmed that at least 30,000 claimants (35%) should receive their BPS 2015 payment when the payment window opens on 1st December. Inevitably this is likely to be more straightforward BPS claims that have required the least amount of additional validation […]

Posted on November 27th, 2015 by

What do I need to do to comply with the Greening rules of the BPS in 2016?

Mike Cluley from Carver Knowles in Worcestershire helps us to understand. The Greening rules are a compulsory requirement of the Basic Payment Scheme. They contribute to approximately 30% of the value of their total BPS claim value. If a farmer does not comply with the rules they will lose some or all of their “greening” […]

Posted on September 22nd, 2015 by

BASIC PAYMENT SCHEME (BPS) UPDATE

Following the announcement that the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) will now be done using paper forms rather than the Rural Payments System and that the deadline is now the 15th June, we now have a different timeline of actions that need to be taken. We have summarised the key issues and when they need to be […]

Posted on March 23rd, 2015 by