Basic Payment Scheme Update August 2014 August 2014 | Page 3

From the 1st January 2015, the Single Farm Payment (SFP)
Scheme will cease and be replaced by the Basic Payment Scheme
(BPS).
RPA ONLINE “THE CAP
INFORMATION SERVICE”
The introduction of the Basic
Payment Scheme (BPS) also
coincides with the introduction of
DEFRAs CAP Information Service,
an online management system
that will be used to operate and
administer the BPS service.
BPS claims, mapping, transfers of
entitlements, agents authorisation
and Greening requirements etc will
all be carried out online. Future
communication is also likely to be
via email alerts.
To use the CAP Information Service
all claimants will first need to
register with the Government
Gateway. If you have registered
with the Government Gateway to
use the SFP service, you will still
need to register for BPS. It is now
a far more complex registration
process, which includes providing
an email address and proof of your
identity.
Once claimants are registered,
agents will be able to link claimants
to their agents ID and manage
their information and application

throughout the year.
It is the RPAs intention that once
claimants are registered, they will
be able to check their RLR maps
online, land classifications and
landscape features. From autumn
2014 onwards claimants will be
able to input land use and from
January 2015 claimants will be able
to amend land parcels, boundaries
and also transfer land parcels.

ALLOCATION OF
ENTITLEMENTS
DEFRA announced on the 31st
October 2013 that existing Single
Farm Payment entitlements will
be rolled forward into the new
scheme, becoming Basic Payment
entitlements. This should enable
a smooth transition into the new
scheme in respect of entitlement
allocation
and
avoid
any
unnecessary upheaval.
This means that the 2013 status
which was often referred to as
the ‘golden ticket’ will not be a
requirement in England, which was
previously on the cards.

Entitlements will be calculated
from the number of entitlements
a farmer holds on 31st December
2014, which will then become the
number of entitlements they will
hold from the 1st January 2015
under the new BPS.

MINIMUM CLAIM SIZE
Under BPS the minimum claim
size has increased to 5 hectares.
Therefore a claimant will need to
include at least 5 hectares of eligible
land and at least 5 hectares of BPS
entitlements on their claim. If not,
the claim will be rejected.
The 5 hectare minimum claim only
applies to the actual claim and does
not apply to the rolling forwards
of SFP entitlements into the new
scheme. Therefore farmers with less
than 5 hectares and 5 entitlements,
should be considering either
increasing their land holding and
sourcing more entitlements, or
entering into an arrangement with
a third party. Specific advice should
be sought prior to implementing
any changes.

“Early planning is now
essential, the decisions
you are making today
will affect your eligibility
for next year’s claim.”

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