Details of the new Basic Payment Scheme are beginning to trickle through from both England and Wales. Here is Rostons’ current update of the new rules.
Entitlement Trading
England – for a defined period between April 2 and October 19, 2014 Entitlements can be traded in a way which ensures they are in the right hands for the rolling forward of Entitlements on December 31, 2014.
Wales – no interim arrangements have been announced as yet and when questioned at a recent meeting, Welsh Assembly officers could not give any indication.
Digital by Default
England is committed to the Digital by Default for the first applications in 2015.
A new IT system is being rolled out and Tony Rimmer, Director of Rostons, has been consulted by the RPA and is working on the Stakeholder group in connection with this.
There are a number of changes proposed which, in Tony’s view, may be problematic, primarily because there is a lot to be achieved in a relatively short period of time which is compounded by a lack of understanding of farmers’ needs among those people involved in implementation.
Despite this, early signs are encouraging. A phased roll out is planned starting in July so there will be action farmers need to take through the summer months and this autumn to ensure they are ready for the new scheme.
Rostons will be in a position to assist.
Greening
Little fresh information has become available since our seminars from either the RPA or the Welsh Assembly but it is clear that farmers may, in many instances, have failed to grasp the significance of Greening and particularly Ecological Focus Areas.
If you have any land which is under the plough and grows a crop other than grass, this land is arable defined and as such gives rise to a potential problem under Greening.
It is important you recognise this fact prior to sowing any autumn crops. If you are unsure, please do not hesitate to contact the Rostons Team and we would be delighted to try and shed some light on this confused subject.
The Rostons Team will continue to keep you updated with any relevant new information, either via this newsletter or seminars and it is our intention to run another series of seminars this autumn.