CAP reform Policy Questions

[llamedos]

The DEFRA team will be on hand this evening between 5-7pm
Please use this thread for any questions on CAP Reform policy, which follows the latest policy leaflet, published in October

 

[cjohnson]

Hi there - a number of questions for the DEFRA team - I look forward to the answers...


CAP eligibility

1) Trees planted under EWGS and FWPS – claimed in 2008 therefore eligible for SPS. Will these areas be eligible for BPS?

2) Active Farmer? – Where a farm (grass and arable) also has a stable and trains racing horses. A gallop with no permanent structure is present and this area is deducted i.e. not claimed under SPS. Will farmer be “active” or does he have to undergo “re-admission” test?

 

[Simon35]

The DEFRA team will be on hand this evening between 5-7pm
Please use this thread for any questions on CAP Reform policy, which follows the latest policy leaflet, published in October

Hedgerow eligibility – The October update clarifies that hedgerows which are arable on one side and non-agricultural on the other (road, wood etc) and the farmer is responsible for both sides of the hedge, they can count the whole hedge as an EFA feature. It doesn’t say what happens if the farmer only has responsibility for one (the arable) side. Assume they can count half?

Catch/cover crops - Grass can be counted as either a catch or cover crop as long as it is undersown in the previous crop and sufficiently established. Can it be grazed? Can it be grazed only after the catch or cover crop dates (1st Oct, 15th Jan respectively) or not at all? If the grass is staying in as a ley/herbage seed to be harvested the following harvest is that ok?

 

[Staffs_tractor_boy]

The guidance says that new entrant farmers will be entitled to receive BPS entitlements from the national reserve if they have "...... also have started their agricultural activity (farming) in 2013 or later ". So by way of an example, Farmer Giles purchased a farm in Oct 2012 but did not undertake any farming activity or production until he bought his first herd in May 2013. All this is documented. So would he be deemed to have started agricultural activity at the date of purchase in Oct 2012 or when he actually started farming activity in May 2013?

 

[kent connection]

Raspberries in poly tunnels are classed as permanent crops and so their area does not count towards needing an EFA or Crop Diversification.
Strawberries in the same poly tunnels are class as an arable area, thus triggering the need for EFA & CD.
If my holding is totally covered in poly tunnels, I will need to remove some of the ones containing strawberries to provide EFA features, plus plant other arable crops.
Is this really what you want me to do?

 

[Badshot]

I understand we have to register for the new BPS, how and when do we do this?

 

[Hampton]

Is their anymore information on the young farmer qualifying criteria and how we enroll?

 

[white_stuffed]

Active farmers: Have I read it correctly that a famer who received EUR5000 or less in the previous scheme year will automatically qualify as an active farmer? That seems strange; should that read EUR5000 or more?
Also, will a game shoot classify as active farmer? (on page 22 of the latest guidance it states that fields on which game shooting takes place are 'not a ground' so not an active farmer?) The fields are sown to cover crops (kale/maize) and are grazed at the end of the season so are technically 'in production'?

 

[Northdowns Martin]

Should I or will I have to complete a document, (including maps) similar to the ELS listing my fields and features which I want to claim EFA for?

 

[willdevon]

Judging by the experience of others and what i can gather from your website, the unnecessary level of questions required by the new Gov.verify seem disproportionate for the admin of the SFP. Defra already has sufficient info which is deemed adequate to process SFP payments and other organs of Government for VAT payments and personal tax returns, why is it necessary to layer on what must be a vastly expensive new system which also requires me to share personal data with a commercial third party ( experian) when it is a payment for a farming business. How much is it costing and what has been the success rate of people managing to get through the system? I am anticipating that your answer will be nothing to do with DEFRA but it is GOV policy. But as a customer ( or should i say tax payer) i hope you will do better than that.

 

[marcot]

Judging by the experience of others and what i can gather from your website, the unnecessary level of questions required by the new Gov.verify seem disproportionate for the admin of the SFP. Defra already has sufficient info which is deemed adequate to process SFP payments and other organs of Government for VAT payments and personal tax returns, why is it necessary to layer on what must be a vastly expensive new system which also requires me to share personal data with a commercial third party ( experian) when it is a payment for a farming business. How much is it costing and what has been the success rate of people managing to get through the system? I am anticipating that your answer will be nothing to do with DEFRA but it is GOV policy. But as a customer ( or should i say tax payer) i hope you will do better than that.

Great question. ....I am eagerly awaiting the DEFRA response. ..

 

[DefraGov]

The Defra team is now online and here to answer your questions, live, for the next two hours. If we don’t get time to answer your question today, we’ll post replies to as many as possible over the next week

 

[DefraGov]

Hi Willdevon
You’re obviously aware that GOV.UK Verify is the new online security system that checks and protects your identity so that customers can use the new digital application service safely – so we know you are who you say you are, and only give access to you. We need to do this so that we can be sure it's really you accessing your details, and not someone pretending to be you.
GOV.UK Verify is secure, and once you’ve registered you can access an increasing number of government services using the same account.
The security questions asked by certified companies are all based on information they already hold about you and they are just asking you to confirm these details are right, so they know it is you sitting at the computer. The questions are varied and detailed in order to meet modern security standards suitable for the levels of financial transaction involved in making payments under CAP schemes.

Currently there is one certified company providing GOV.UK Verify - more certified companies will come online in the near future so you will be able to choose which provider you would like to verify your identity.

Nobody is excluded from applying for CAP schemes if they can’t verify their identity entirely digitally through GOV.UK Verify at this stage – an alternative way to register will be available to them. GOV.UK Verify will direct customers who are unable to verify their identity to other ways to register. The alternative way will still require you to have an e-mail address.

 

[DefraGov]

Hedgerow eligibility – The October update clarifies that hedgerows which are arable on one side and non-agricultural on the other (road, wood etc) and the farmer is responsible for both sides of the hedge, they can count the whole hedge as an EFA feature. It doesn’t say what happens if the farmer only has responsibility for one (the arable) side. Assume they can count half?

Catch/cover crops - Grass can be counted as either a catch or cover crop as long as it is undersown in the previous crop and sufficiently established. Can it be grazed? Can it be grazed only after the catch or cover crop dates (1st Oct, 15th Jan respectively) or not at all? If the grass is staying in as a ley/herbage seed to be harvested the following harvest is that ok?

Thanks for your question Simon
on your first question yes, half of a hedge can be counted as an EFA as long as the other requirements are met (i.e. next to arable land). This is explained in the last row of the table on page 8 of the October update [https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...le/367701/cap-reform-october-2014-update.pdf].

On Catch/cover crops - The grass can’t be grazed during the retention period(s). You can potentially graze after the retention period, however we suggest you avoid it unless you can maintain the benefits listed on page 11 of the October booklet [see link above]. You will also have to meet the cross compliance standards which will be published in December for 2015.

 

[DefraGov]

Great question. ....I am eagerly awaiting the DEFRA response. ..

Hi Marcot
see our answer to Will Devon above.

 

[DefraGov]

Is their anymore information on the young farmer qualifying criteria and how we enroll?

Thanks for your question.

The leaflet we published in October, ‘The new Common Agricultural Policy schemes in England: October 2014 update’, included some information about the young farmer payment. It also included information abouthow young farmers can qualify for entitlements from the national reserve. Later in the year we will be providing more details about the evidence that farmers will need to provide to show they meet the eligibility criteria.

 

[willdevon]

Defra gov . thank you for the response but as i anticipated you didn't actually answer my questions but simply rehearsed the 'official line'. If you 'know its me to discuss/ pay SFP, or to receive quarterly VAT returns and process payments to/ from my bank ( and the same for the Inland Revenue for tax returns ) why do we need the new system? How are putative registrants getting on in actually registering ? How much is all this costing us? How much is experian costing to process data that the GOV already has and successfully uses in administering SFP, VAT, tax etc?

 

[Hesston4860s]

Trees planted under FWPS all schemes now ended and never claimed SPS on the area as they where early FWPS contracts and ineligible, can I claim anything under BPS ?. If so how would I go about it as I have no entitlements.

 

[Filthyfarmer]

When is registration going to start?

 

[DefraGov]

Active farmers: Have I read it correctly that a famer who received EUR5000 or less in the previous scheme year will automatically qualify as an active farmer? That seems strange; should that read EUR5000 or more?
Also, will a game shoot classify as active farmer? (on page 22 of the latest guidance it states that fields on which game shooting takes place are 'not a ground' so not an active farmer?) The fields are sown to cover crops (kale/maize) and are grazed at the end of the season so are technically 'in production'?

Hi
Yes, farmers who receivedSPS or BPS payments of €5,000 or less (before penalties) for the previous year are automatically considered to be an active farmer. If a farmer has land used for agame shootthat would notlead to the farmer needing to provide evidence to showthey are an active farmer.