Autumn 2013
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CAP reform - Deal done, but not quite dusted
Political agreement on the direction
of the Common Agricultural Policy
was made in June this year and it
appears that the new Basic Payment
Scheme (BPS) will be similar to the
current Single Payment Scheme
(SPS) in England.
A claim form will still need to be submitted
in the spring of each year, entitlements will
be required and you must have eligible
land at your disposal. However there are a
few fundamental changes and Mike Cluley
looks at what practical problems these
could present and how they may affect your
current system.
All claims will need to be made online.
Paper forms will not be accepted after
2014. In 2013 Carver Knowles submitted
72% of all claims online and with the RPA
improving the online system it is hoped
that this will increase to 100% next year.
We will be offering a ‘submission only’
service for those who do not have a
computer but are happy with their RLR
maps, Cross Compliance and crop
codes.
At least 95% of the permanent
grassland area must be retained
at national level.This is similar to the
current Cross Compliance regulation
however the new base year will be
2012 plus any additional land claimed
as permanent grassland in 2015.
Consecutive temporary grass leys that
continue for more than five years will
become permanent grassland even if
they are reseeded.
Crop Diversification. If the arable land
on your farm is between 10 and 30
hectares, two crops must be grown, with
the main crop not exceeding 75% of the
area. For those with more than 30 acres
of arable land, there must be at least
3 crops, with the two main crops not
exceeding 95% of the area. This is going
to lead to a more complex crop coding
system, particularly as spring and winter
varieties will be considered as different
crops.
Ecological Focus Areas. If you have
more than 15 hectares of arable land,
you will have to maintain at least 5%
of that area as an Ecological Focus
Area (EFA) for 2015. This is designed to
provide environmental benefits without
necessarily taking land out of production.
The current rules are clear that any
features that are included within an Entry
or Higher Level Stewardship Scheme
will not count as that would be ‘double
funding’. The final requirements of the
EFAs will be known by next August, but
we expect them to include landscape
“With the Single Payment
Scheme having finally become
a relatively straightforward
process, the BPS promises
to add more complexity
and planning to the subsidy
regime.”
features (hedges and trees), buffer
strips, fallow land and nitrogen-fixing
crops. This may present an additional
administrative burden if boundary
features need to be recorded on the BPS
claim forms or on RLR plans.
Entitlements. England has two options
with how it deals with entitlements, either
retain the current system and roll over the
entitlements for the new scheme or issue
new entitlements to all 2012 claimants
based on their current claimable area.
Early indications are that the current
system will be rolled over. Therefore if
you require additional entitlements or you
have excess to sell, there will still be a
market, but prices may increase if they
are rolled over.
If you have any issues relating to the new
Basic Payment Scheme or the existing
Single Payment Scheme we would be
happy to discuss these with you.