The Rural Payments Agency, which has been much maligned in the past over missed targets and shortcomings, has today announced the launch of a ‘customer charter’, to better serve farmers. The charter outlines what farmers should expect from the service and what they can do when things go wrong.

image expired

The agency has said that the cornerstones of the document are about dealing with any queries quickly and professionally, and in ensuring customers are always communicated with in a clear and open, increasing transparency in the complaints and appeals processes.

Farming Minister Jim Paice, who chairs the RPA Oversight Board, said at the beginning of the month that single payments administered by the RPA are progressing well, with more backlog being cleared and payments being made according to plan, despite working to a reduced budget.

In an address to Parliament, Paice said, "Each individual indicator betters or matches performance under any previous scheme year while both reducing, rather than adding to, legacy problems and operating with a much reduced budget."

Announcing the charter’s release, RPA Chief Executive Mark Grimshaw said, "In line with our commitment to work with industry partners to drive up service standards, both stakeholders and customers were involved in the production of this new charter to ensure it met the needs of farmers and food producers."

Industry representatives have welcomed the news; NFU President Peter Kendall said, "The relationship between farmers and the RPA has been far from good in the past. The RPA’s Customer Charter is a move in the right direction; building a professional relationship with the farming industry is greatly welcomed."

The RPA’s customer charter can be read here.