Thousands of farmers face cash squeeze as they await support payments

More than 3,000 farmers and growers are still waiting to receive lifeblood European support money, more than three months after the payment window opened, according to a new analysis by the National Farmers’ Union.

The union’s newly elected vice president, Stuart Roberts, voiced his frustration at the impasse at a time when many northern farmers are having to spend extra funds to recover from some of the worst snow drifts to have affected their farmland in decades.

Mr Roberts was also critical of the communication with farmers about what was happening with their payment claims, as he rued the lack of progress made by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) in administering direct support payments to farmers under the Basic Payment Scheme since January.

Read more at: https://www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/new...eeze-as-they-await-support-payments-1-9059260

 

[Pilgrimmick]

It is a total farce in Scotland, cannot see it getting better anytime soon.

 

[Gator]

I'm still waiting

 

[Courier]

There are more important things for the Government to be doing with YOUR money. And when they have given up trying to reconcile the irreconcilable then all strategic reserves will have been spent anyway

 

[puppet]

It is a total farce in Scotland, cannot see it getting better anytime soon.

Computer is still groaning but at least we have a loan scheme to get some cash flow

 

[Fiveospades]

It always seems to be the ones that need this money for cash flow and survival that are denied it as a result of incompetence and lack offlexibility by those handling the scheme. Defra employees should try going without for a while then perhaps they would get on with the job instead of splitting hairs over genuine mistakes or incorrect box ticking.
Whilst they sit in their warm offices thinking what they are going to do at the weekend there is real hardship welling up elsewhere. They are so far removed from the absolute reality it is shameful.
I had my payment in early December as did most of my neighbours, why can't it be the same for all. After all if we are late applying for our subsidies we are heavily penalised. Often workload is the reason given for late payments , if this is so then work longer hours to get the job sorted, that's what we all do.

 

[Cowcalf]

It is a total farce in Scotland, cannot see it getting better anytime soon.

I would say the only thing thats a farce in Scotland is the fact that folk can claim the payments with little or no production, a total disgrace

 

[Fiveospades]

Payments at the moment are area based but as we all know Mr. Gove has a vision and if he is still in the same job when we eventually leave Europe in some way he and his departmental colleagues will bring about a change.
The uncertainty of where we will all be a as result of these changes is deeply worrying .

 

[Scrow]

Surely it must be much more than 3000 still waiting just based on personal anecdata, unless I happen to live in an area where the farmers are just particularly unlucky?

 

[Fiveospades]

I have one neighbour that sold a bull and dated the movement record one day earlier. The BCMS picked up on this as it seemed to them that the Bull was missing for a day before it was registered at the farm to whom he sold it to.
As a consequence he is stil waiting for his BPS money whilst Defra decide if he is to be penalised and lose some of his money. There is also talk of a fine as well .
He has tried to explain that he unwittingly made a mistake but he rarely talks to the same person at Defra more than once . How are we expected to deal with such inflexibility and lack of common sense. No wonder there are still lots of unpaid farms out there!.