Defra agrees to make stewardship bridging payments
Countryside Stewardship agree- ment holders who claimed in 2017 for their revenue payment should have received a bridging payment if they were not been paid by 21 June 2018.
Defra made the concession fol- lowing pressure from the NFU, Country Land and Business As- sociation and the Tenant Farmers’ Association. A bridging payment is an interest-free loan in advance of the full year payment. Customers will receive 75% of the current estimated value of their CS 2017 revenue claim, said Defra. When the full payment is processed and made, the amount paid through the bridging pay- ment will be held back.
Defra said some 82% of 2017
claimants had already received a payment for environmental work on their farms. Bridging payments were being made to ensure that the remaining 18% of farmers and land managers were not left out of pocket for the work and time they had invested.
Letters and emails were sent to farmers and land managers await- ing payments last month, with a reminder to make sure bank ac- count and contact details on the Rural Payments Service are up- to-date so that bridging payments can be made successfully. The Rural Payments Agency is administrating the payments on behalf of Natural England. A De-
fra spokesman said: “We’re con- tinuing to process payments to Environmental Stewardship cus- tomers, and have brought in more people to help pay the remainder as soon as possible.”
NFU deputy president Guy Smith said: “It is clear that De- fra is severely lagging behind on making Countryside Stewardship agreement offers and payments, with thousands still waiting for the advance payments and even more waiting for fi nal payments. “We have to question how high on the priority list environmen- tal schemes really are for Defra; these schemes are vital to farm- ers and the natural environment they work in.”
NORMAC Norfolk Farm Machinery Club (NORMAC) Ltd 60 CULTIVATIONS DEMONSTRATION Downham Market A10 roundabout
By kind permission of Albanwise Farming Ltd Thursday 6th September, all day
Lots of machinery Lots of action Lots of tractors
Lots of information Static stands, refreshments, etc.
FREE ADMISSION FREE PARKING
JULY 2018 • ANGLIA FARMER 5
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