Blog

What is the RPA up to…

Peter Walker - Wilson Wraight


  1. FDM Reimbursement

All farmers who made a 2016 BPS claim over €2,000 (£1,705) should have received a refund from the ‘Financial Discipline Mechanism’ crisis fund in the past few weeks. The payment should have been 1.368711% of their 2016 payment (pre 2016 deductions, but less €2,000).

 

  1. PLCD Mapping

Any farmer whose land has not been digitally re-mapped by the RPA in the last 3 years will be subject to ‘Proactive Land Change Detection’, whereby the RPA are updating field parcel details.  Check the Messages tab on Rural Payments to see if your farm is affected.  Any changes will be applied to the 2017 claim year (as well as future years) so it is important to check you are happy with any revised field boundaries or eligibility.

 

  1. PPA Historic Payments

‘Post Payment Adjustments’ continue for those farmer’s affected by 2015 and 2016 payment shortfalls.  The RPA are working to resolve the majority of queries before the 2017 payment  window opens on 1st December, but there is still time to challenge historic payments if you believe you are affected.

 

  1. Exchange Rate Set

For those who claim BPS in Sterling, the exchange rate has been set at 89.470p/€.  This is circa 5% ‘better’ than last year and could provide an English Non-SDA payment in the region of £223/ha or £90/ac (based on an estimated value of €253/ha, less 1.4% FDM).

 

  1. EFA Changes

Beware of changes to the ‘Ecological Focus Area’ regulations for the 2018 scheme year, which may affect cropping decisions this autumn.  The extension of Buffer Strips to include Field Margins could be a substantial help for most farms, but now is the time to check.