Payments update

The RPA is continuing to issue BPS payments to farmers across England.  A payment run on 25^th January saw another 3,472 farmers paid a total of £66m (average payment therefore around £19,000).  This brings the total number paid (as at 27^th January) to 61,172 (over 70%) of claimants.  In terms of money, over £845 million out of an estimated total of £1.43 billion has been made (59%).   We are told payments are being made regularly to all sizes of claims.  Whether any more will be made before the end of the month remains to be seen.  If not, then there will be some debate as to whether 70% constitutes a ‘vast majority’ as the RPA promised.

Of those yet to be paid, around 13,000 have received a letter setting out that they will not be receiving money before the end of January, and the reasons for this.  This leaves around 12,800 who have not had a letter, but have yet to receive payment.  It may be that all these will see funds in the next three days; but this seems rather unlikely.

Rather surprisingly, the RPA has confirmed that there is £1.5 million ready to pay out to some claimants who have not yet registered on the Rural Payments system or who have changed their bank details and failed to let the RPA know!

Natural England has confirmed it has made Environmental Stewardship final payments to over 29,000 claimants (65%), which is a month ahead of previous years.  It expects to have made all payments by the end of March.