Farming News - Vital greening advice available for farmers at Tillage Live 2014
News
Vital greening advice available for farmers at Tillage Live 2014
image expired
The latest Defra Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) leaflet is available at the event, held at the Down Ampney airfield near Cirencester on Wednesday 10 September.
The leaflet gives important information to allow farmers to prepare for next year’s crop, and the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will have experts on hand at the show to help answer any questions.
In 2015 the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) will be replaced by the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS). As part of BPS, farmers must follow the new greening rules or risk losing about 30 per cent of their total EU payment.
Under the new CAP, farming, wildlife, rural businesses and the wider economy in England are set to receive £15 billion in funding from 2014 to 2020.
RPA External Relations Director Arik Dondi said:
“People are encouraged to come along to the stand, speak to our CAP experts and pick up a copy of the latest CAP leaflet, which is also available to everyone on www.gov.uk.
“It includes updates on what we know so far about the new schemes, what they may mean for farmers and of course more information on the greening rules.
“If farmers are going to claim BPS it’s important they start thinking about the greening rules now, in case they have to change anything on their holding.
“We have included as much information as we can in this leaflet. We don’t know all the details about greening yet, but the leaflet will be useful if you’re a farmer, an agent or an agronomist.”
Defra, working with the RPA, Natural England and the Forestry Commission, is determined to implement the CAP in a way that is as simple, affordable and effective as possible.
From next year the way farmers, land managers and agents will apply for schemes and claim CAP payment is changing. Paper applications will be replaced by the new online CAP Information Service.
Nearly 70 per cent of SPS 2014 applications were made online. From next year all applicants for the new CAP schemes will need to be registered on the CAP Information Service.
The RPA will keep up-to-date information available through the GOV.UK website at www.gov.uk/cap-reform.