As part of industrial action by public service union PCS, the Rural payments Agency will hold a one-day strike on one of the busiest days of the year for processing single payment applications.

Industrial action will take place across the civil service on Wednesday 15 May. The date marks the deadline for some SFP applications. RPA said on Monday (13 May) that, although it has plans in place to limit the impact on farmers, "it is likely that there will be some disruption to normal services."

Action at the RPA is likely to be most keenly felt by farmers calling the agency's Customer Service Centre (CSC).

The industrial action forms part of a six-week programme of rolling protest by workers at DEFRA, which will begin today. Staff from 11 Defra-affiliated organisations will protest, including workers at Natural England, RPA and the department's head offices at Millbank, London.

The walkout will be marked by nationwide picket lines from 7am. The action builds on earlier strikes on Budget Day and the long weekend of action from 5-8 April. Strikers are protesting savage government cuts that have affected pay and work conditions and resulted in massive job cuts.

PCS Environment, Food and Rural Affairs [EFRA] Group President Glenn Ford commented on Tuesday, "Many of our colleagues are fighting for their jobs. A quarter of the people who were working with us in 2010 just aren't here anymore and those that are left are having to give more and more for less and less money each year.

"The imposed performance management system has caused much anger across the Department.”

More information on the RPA strike can be found on the agency's website.