2014 Uplands Transitional Payments March 7, 2014 12:00 am England Eligible beef and sheep farmers should have received their 2014 Uplands Transitional Payment (UTP). In the final year of the scheme, the RPA has paid 99% of the total value and 99% of the eligible applicants a month earlier than usual; £750,000 has been paid to 440 farmers. It is now focussing on getting the remaining payments out. The full payment rates for 2014 are SDA Moorland and Common land £16.62 per Ha (£16.06 in 2013) and other SDA land £43.88 per Ha (£42.40 in 2013). The full rate is payable up to 350 Ha, half rate is payable on the area between 350 -700 Ha, nothing is paid for land in excess of this amount. The UTP was available to upland beef and sheep farmers who had CSS agreements or ESAs on their land which excluded them from the Uplands Entry Level Scheme (UELS). The UTP will not be available to claim this year (used to be via the SP5 form). The UELS is still open in 2014. Anybody whose ESA or CSS agreement is expiring in 2014 should have been contacted by Natural England. Scotland The Scottish Government will start making LFASS payments imminently. Around £65.5m will be paid to around 11,300 hill farmers before the end of March.
