Like to see that, steveR, but we'd still all lose, unfortunately.
The contract we all signed is loaded against us, with absolutely no promise of payment.
Payment timings for Mid/Higher Tier
- Thread starter Brisel
- Start date
Like to see that, steveR, but we'd still all lose, unfortunately.
The contract we all signed is loaded against us, with absolutely no promise of payment.
This has been a complete and utter disaster, binbusy, for NE, for the RPA, for most, if not all, conservation objectives and, particularly, for Michael Gove.
For in just a couple of years it's managed to alienate prior practitioner enthusiasts, almost every wannabe conservationist and most of the middle-of-the road sceptics - all the good guys.
They've even managed to alienate me.
binbusy
Member
- Location
- South Suffolk
Il be thinking twice before I enter into another scheme that’s for sure.
Feldspar
Member
- Location
- Essex, Cambs and Suffolk
What are people's views on the likelihood of the situation improving say in a few years time. Say you were starting a scheme in 2019 and then were due to be paid at the end of that year. What are you forecasts for the situation that the RPA / NE will be in then? We are thinking of cancelling our current scheme and re-entering the simplified scheme in a bigger way. Running against the crowd, but we think it could work well for us. Number one risk is the topic in hand here -- namely, NE's mess.
Who believes that there is a risk of never being paid, or is most people's assumption that it's just a case of extremely delays?
Who believes that there is a risk of never being paid, or is most people's assumption that it's just a case of extremely delays?
binbusy
Member
- Location
- South Suffolk
They didn’t anticipate the brexit vote that’s where it all went wrong - it hasnt gained momentum since.
When they put all applications on hold for all those months we should have worked it out.
It will get better, but until they really work out where the cash is coming from I don’t see it improving.
When they put all applications on hold for all those months we should have worked it out.
It will get better, but until they really work out where the cash is coming from I don’t see it improving.
WRXppp
Member
- Location
- North Yorks
I think the biggest problem they have is the never ending changing goalposts NE have thrown at them, and the shear amount of schemes now, i’m only just over halfway through a ten year ELS/HLS scheme and it alone had many different variations over the years, then there’s all the stewardship schemes, lots of changes as to which office deals with you and now the news that it will be absorbed by the RPA, which by the way is a massive reason why NE are on the back foot at the moment because of the RPA’s mapping fiasco, as I said before the powers that be need to take note going forward, be more farmer friendly, stop sending fuzzy letters that don’t really say anything concrete, like the letter promising a 75% advance payment instead of 50% then no payment turns up at all, during my initial dealings there was some super staff at NE but it’s gone more like the RPA now and I just think it’s a real shame.
WRXppp
Member
- Location
- North Yorks
My ELS/HLS ends November 2022 and I hope by then all the questions over subs, Brexit, green brexit, who is in power, etc etc will all be sorted and I can make a choice going forward as to if NE, RPA, DEFRA, EA are still here no one knows!
yellow belly
Member
- Location
- south west lincolnshire
if you give up on a 2017 or 2018 scheme then join the simplified scheme will you miss out on a year of the scheme
I am sure they will pay eventually so overall keeping the current agreed scheme may be more profitable
I am keeping the scheme I have agreed but may claim late payment in the accounts so I may defer any tax due which may be less by then as we will have less bps by 2020
I am sure they will pay eventually so overall keeping the current agreed scheme may be more profitable
I am keeping the scheme I have agreed but may claim late payment in the accounts so I may defer any tax due which may be less by then as we will have less bps by 2020
You are not alone... My ELS/HLS runs out in 2021, Gawd knows if we will have a working replacement, but at present I am far from confident. Serious money needs to be spent sorting out the Admin for starters. As the schemes stand not, I would walk away, which after over 20 years of Stewardship would be a real shame from the environmental aspects I reckon....
I have been waiting nearly 9 months for a decision on a MTS Water Capital Item and am now still waiting for an application form for the next project. Will they ever come to fruition...? Both have full support from EA and the local CSF Officer and both agree that the 2 projects will be extremely beneficial.
Do the potential benefits make any odds in the NE/RPA assessments...? I am far from sure.
It all reminds me of the ridiculous situation when my last 10 year scheme ended. I had 30ac in an ols arable reversion pasture option on wet low lying land. Overun with hares, owls and peewits and curlews. All prime target species... However, the funding for it under the CSS was so lousy, the whole lot went under the plough that Autumn. My (now gone) NE adviser was probably as pee'd off as I was, but nigh on useless grassland does not pay the borrowings without some support!
It would need a very good Contracts lawyer I reckon, but nothing is impossible.
This scenario also happened to me. 10 yr HLS including 30 acres of Arable reversion to help prevent nitrates getting into Crosemere, a triple SI . Was getting a reasonable rate, but then said it’s now p pasture here’s £30 acre. As a tenant I couldn’t afford that, so it then got a dollup of pig muck and a crop of maize .
No joined up thinking at all.
I do - and this has been my view since Day 1 (see above).
As to the degree of risk, this has certainly been increasing over time, but may well now reduce again if only Gove can get some kind of a grip.
Feldspar
Member
- Location
- Essex, Cambs and Suffolk
I do - and this has been my view since Day 1 (see above).
As to the degree of risk, this has certainly been increasing over time, but may well now reduce again if only Gove can get some kind of a grip.
We're dealing in the realms of uncertainty, but what would you put the probability of a default for any one of the five years of payment due across the life of Mid Tier schemes that are currently running?
Feldspar
Member
- Location
- Essex, Cambs and Suffolk
It's like the Feed in Tariffs; because they kept messing around with it and created so much politicisation in the planning process, those going for schemes needed a seriously high rate of return to offset the risk of the government pulling the rug from under them.
Here, if they want farmers to go into new schemes, they'll have to start upping the payment rates to persuade them to take on the newly created risk as result of their fiasco. Like the Icelandic banks that had to give 6.5% interest on their accounts to get people to keep their money with them before they went under.
binbusy
Member
- Location
- South Suffolk
What makes me spit is It’s cost me the first years payment to establish the mixes they wanted. Ripped up 4ha wheat too, which I drilled in case I didn’t get in the scheme which then turned out to be the wrong decision as I got in.
Turned round and bought all the kings seed mixtures weren’t cheap at all.
They forget rents still need paying whatever the crop.
Turned round and bought all the kings seed mixtures weren’t cheap at all.
They forget rents still need paying whatever the crop.
Feldspar
Member
- Location
- Essex, Cambs and Suffolk
I still don't quite understand why they seem to be so paralysed. You think they could at the very least get a part payment out and just override their computer systems.
I can get no sense out of N E as to the state of our application for 2018 mid-tier stewardship scheme sent in last September. Anyone got the contact details of someone in NE who manages to get things moving?
Right Hon. Michael Gove, c/o Houses of Parliament.....
No doubt you have had numerous letters telling you they will be assessing the Application soon..? Same here, but no decision and no application pack for the second application after 5-6 weeks!!