He writes:
English farmers need to get ready to build up their BPS claim in the coming weeks. These are my top five tips for a successful claim.
1. Know the rules before completing the form
At this time of the year the focus is to complete the BPS application form, but with a new scheme, it is vital you read carefully, from cover to cover, the new BPS handbook when it arrives through your letterbox.
This is because:
It contains new information not previously been covered in the earlier 2014 CAP leaflets
Some previous information has changed since the previous publications were issued
2. Can you answer yes to these five questions?
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Suzanne Clear, senior planning and rural affairs adviser - Planners must recognise value of agricultural land
Richard Wordsworth, senior BPS adviser - BPS - what you need to know now
Richard Bower, chairman of the NFU Next Generation Policy Forum - Insider blog: What does 'CAP simplification' mean?
Gail Soutar, chief economics adviser - CAP simplification - what's on the agenda?
It is worthwhile checking now if you can give positive answers to the following questions for your business and land:
Are you an Active Farmer in 2015?
Is all your 2015 claimed land at your disposal?
Is all your claimed land eligible for BPS?
Have I got enough land to ensure I retain my entitlements in 2015?
Am I compliant with greening?
If the answer to any of these questions is no, then you need to consider how to resolve the issues; be that clarifying land tenure arrangements or adjusting your claim areas in the future.
3. Know your land before you go apply
All BPS ineligible features need to be mapped on your RLR maps. Any ineligible features that aren’t currently on your RLR maps, need to be notified to the RPA on an RLE 1 form (available here), ensure this corresponds with your BPS application
Whilst waiting for your pre-populated BPS application to arrive, you can think about:
Measuring any ineligible features
Measuring buffer strips or hedges you are planning to use as greening features
Measuring parts of fields you need for greening
4. Be prepared to supply additional information to the RPA
You will need to gather information together and have it independently verified by an accountant or solicitor before submitting a certification form to the RPA if you are applying for these schemes:
Young Farmer Scheme top up payment
Entitlements from the National Reserve
Proving you are an “Active Farmer” (Accountant only)
Guidance and the certificate can be found here.
5. Do you need to transfer BPS entitlements?
The BPS rules state that if you hold excess entitlements in 2015, compared with the amount of land you declare on your application, the excess entitlements will be lost. So if you need to transfer entitlements out of your business, you can do so now. As we’ve now moved to a ‘paper assisted’ application for BPS in 2015, you now need to transfer BPS entitlements on an RLE 1 form (available here). It’s is looking likely that the deadline to transfer entitlements for use in 2015, will be 15 May 2015, but as this hasn’t yet been confirmed – watch this space.
Finally…
If you know someone who has not yet registered to claim BPS please urge them to call 03000 200 301.
To find out more call NFU Callfirst on 0370 8458458.