Throughout March the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will be contacting farmers who have not yet received their 2015 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payment to provide greater clarity on when they will be paid.
Farmers have said they would benefit from more certainty regarding when they will receive their payment so the RPA will now provide a more precise period in which they can expect to be paid. This period will vary depending on the circumstances of each claim.
Farmers will receive an email (or letter if they don’t have an email address registered in the Rural Payments service) during March, and the RPA aim to have contacted everyone by the end of this month.
The RPA would like to remind people to ensure that their registered email address in the Rural Payments service is correct and if it isn’t to amend it using the service.
RPA Chief Executive Mark Grimshaw said: “We understand the importance of these payments for farmers and every effort is being made to pay farmers as quickly as possible. We are listening to farmers and understand that they want more communication.
“We know that farmers need as much information as possible to manage their business. That's why we have been making regular announcements on the progress with BPS 2015 payments and will continue to do so.”
2016 payments
Thousands of farmers and agents have started their Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) 2016 claims using the Rural Payments service, within days of the refreshed online application service becoming available.
The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) reports that in the past 48 hours some 2,200 BPS entitlements and over 5,500 hectares of land have been transferred using the service as several thousand people logged on.
All farmers and agents planning to make a claim are encouraged to use the service now to check their personal and business information, refresh their password, if needed, and give people permission to act on their behalf.
RPA Chief Executive Mark Grimshaw said: “It is worth farmers and agents taking time now to access the online application service, become familiar with the new features and ensure important details such as their email, are up to date.
“Transferring land and entitlements online now means the information should be updated in time to show on their 2016 BPS online application available around mid-March.”
It is important to have a full and accurate email address on the Rural Payments service as this is how the RPA will be keeping applicants informed.
