- Be prepared by having records and supporting evidence available
- On the arrival of the RPA inspector discuss the inspection.
- When the inspection is finished discuss the findings with the inspector.
All Environmental Stewardship and Countryside Stewardship inspections are undertaken by RPA Inspectors on behalf of Natural England who deliver the schemes.
The maximum amount of notice RPA will give an agreement holder is 48 hours. In some instances, due to EU Regulations, there will be no notice.
Agreement holders can best prepare for your inspection by ensuring that your agreement and option records are up to date and close at hand for the Inspector’s arrival. You should retain any receipts, invoices or other supporting information. As inspections may sometimes be unannounced it is best practise to ensure that you always keep your records and documentation up to date.
Agreement holders should be present to meet the Inspector when they arrive to talk through the inspection.
During the inspection the Inspector will capture details of what they see whilst walking your farm and while checking your records. They will not make judgements about your agreement or your records and cannot give you advice.
At the end of the inspection the agreement holder should talk through the inspection findings to understand what they have recorded and why.
The inspection findings
RPA and Natural England will let you know the outcome of the inspection in 3 stages:
- Firstly the Inspector will discuss what they have found on your farm during the review at the end of the inspection;
- Once mapping changes are complete and the inspection report has been produced, Natural England will send you a copy of the final report;
- Finally, once Natural England have fully considered the report and, if necessary, taken technical advice, they will write to you to confirm the final outcome of the inspection.
The full RPA guidance can be found in related documents.