BPS Payment Delays to Affect Common Land Farmers

Worrying news for common land farmers from the link below, in that their BPS payments may not be received until at least February 2016. According to the article this may be the case with applicants with “complex cases” too.

This follows more optimistic news earlier in the week when the RPA said they are “on track” to make the majority of BPS payments by the end of December and the vast majority of payments by the end of January.

FCL said the Rural Payments Agency’s (RPA) announcement those with ‘complex cases’ – including those farming on common land – would find themselves at the back of the BPS payment queue, would add further pressure to those in some of the country’s most fragile areas.
 
RPA chief executive Mark Grimshaw told an earlier NFU council meeting 4,000 farmers were unlikely to be paid until February 2016 at the earliest.