Is it just me or,,,,,,

[richard hammond]

I attended a Cross Compliance meeting the other day and heard from speakers representing a)The EA, b)The RPA, c)Natural England . The meeting was very useful until I thought about what I had heard,!
I suddenly realised I had heard as "farmers" if we did this wrong or the other thing wrong we would be fined or loose part or all payment from our SFP, please help me how do we fine them for what they all do wrong??
ps. we are not even given the right info for correct filling of paper forms, (pre pop forms were all wrong,)

 

[Iben]

Need to have a march to Westminster. Seems that's all the rage these days.

Need a placard saying 'get them sorted david or brexit it is!'

 

[martian]

It is a complete mess, Richard. You are quite right to wonder what the hell is going on. We are all nervously tip-toeing around bizarre rules and dictats that make no sense whatsoever, but most of us can't afford to tell them to sling their collective hooks. RPA have been fined for making a horlicks of the job, the money to pay the fine presumably comes from cash due to us...

 

[Wastexprt]

I often come across clients who should stand up to the EA, but due to the costs of such a fight, accept the findings of the EA. sometimes wrongly, because its cheaper. That is no way to regulate.

 

[quattro]

Do as I say not as I do!!

 

[Brisel]

It is a complete mess, Richard. You are quite right to wonder what the hell is going on. We are all nervously tip-toeing around bizarre rules and dictats that make no sense whatsoever, but most of us can't afford to tell them to sling their collective hooks. RPA have been fined for making a horlicks of the job, the money to pay the fine presumably comes from cash due to us...

The BPS/SFP is/was ring fenced. The fines the RPA pay for their muppetry are funded by the taxpayer, so us though somewhat diluted.

 

[holthallfarm]

I attended a Cross Compliance meeting the other day and heard from speakers representing a)The EA, b)The RPA, c)Natural England . The meeting was very useful until I thought about what I had heard,!
I suddenly realised I had heard as "farmers" if we did this wrong or the other thing wrong we would be fined or loose part or all payment from our SFP, please help me how do we fine them for what they all do wrong??
ps. we are not even given the right info for correct filling of paper forms, (pre pop forms were all wrong,)

Eventually somebody who gets fined will take them to court and win, then it will be a free for all. Some agents I know are saying the RPA has breeched the EU rules and at this time owes the EU over 15 billion pounds due to the miss management of the subsidy payments. It'll be interesting if the EU ever pick up on this.

 

[Brisel]

£15 billion?

 

[holwellcourtfarm]

Again, it is the way WE interpret the EU rules HERE that is at fault.

Some of you may recall many years ago, under the old "set-aside" rules, that a number of us were represented in a class action by the NFU agains MAFF for witholding a large part of our payments. Our crime was to cut and bale grass grown on set-aside after the date allowed in the EU rules but contrary to the MAFF interpretation. WE WON. MAFF was forced to abandon their excessive application of their rules and we got our missing payments with interest (2 years later in our case).

While I was working at the EA their pollution prevention team audited our local Flood Defence works depot on the principle that we should be seen to be following every rule. They instructed the yard manager to fit automatic shutoff fuel nozzles to the (gravity discharge) diesel tanks. He asked me if I knew of any supplier for such kit. I siad I didn't think it could be done on gravity discharge but asked suppliers we used on our farm. They confirmed that auto shutoff nozzles only work on a pumped delivery. The EA staff member seeking their fitment was informed of this and just said "Oh well, I thought I'd ask" !!!!

Always be willing to challenge authority but always do it politely and carefully.

 

[Wastexprt]

Again, it is the way WE interpret the EU rules HERE that is at fault.

Always be willing to challenge authority but always do it politely and carefully.

Absolutely on both counts (ex EA myself), don't rub the EA up the wrong way, it can make life very difficult.