Remember if you wish to claim from the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) this year, you still need to get your application in by the 15th May 2020.

The application window when applying for BPS, whether you are a previous claimant or are a new entrant opens in March, and Tamlyns experienced Agricultural Team are here to help you beat the deadline and address any potential compliance issues.

For many farms BPS is the difference between profit and loss currently, with around 42% of those who claim BPS reliant on this income to show a profit.

Scheme Requirements

As an applicant you must meet the Scheme requirements including being an “active farmer”; actively farming on eligible agricultural land, primarily used for an “agricultural activity” and it must be “at your disposal” on the 15th May 2020. This means you are in sole control of the land, therefore if you are the landlord you will not be able to claim unless you can demonstrate that you are actively farming the land.

Claimants must be farming a minimum of 5 hectares and own a minimum of 5 entitlements. If you do not currently own entitlements these can be purchased, let, inherited or gifted.

Greening

To meet the cross compliance requirements if you farm between 10 and 30 hectares of arable land you must grow 2 different crops, if over 30 hectares of arable you must grow 3 crops. However, if you grow permanent or temporary grassland and/or leguminous crops on more than 75% of your land; you are exempt from these crop diversification rules.

Flooding

With all of the rain that has fallen this winter, this may have implications for your BPS Claim if land is temporarily not available due to flooding. The Rural Payment Agency will expect to see attempts to comply with the crop diversification requirements, through use of spring cropping or use of fallow land where crops have failed.

You will need to make sure you comply with these cross compliance rules to avoid any financial penalties. If you have any concerns in this respect, or for further guidance on the Scheme as a whole, the Agricultural Team at Tamlyns are here to help. Don’t hesitate to call us or email one of the team at agricultural@tamlyns.co.uk