The news that over 50% of Welsh farmers will begin to receive their BPS part payments within the first week of the window opening means more efforts should be made to ensure 'all farmers are paid as soon as possible,' according to the NFU.
Deputy Farming Minister Rebecca Evans said the 'vast majority' of remaining payments will be made as early as possible in 2016 as payments continue throughout December.
NFU Cymru President Stephen James said today's announcement will be good news for those farmers receiving payments, but Rural Payments Wales 'must continue to put every available resource into getting payments out to all farmers with in the minimum delay,' he said.
Farm incomes are under serious pressure and efforts 'must now be redoubled' to ensure as many farmers as possible receive approximately 80% of their full payment value in December, with the balance, or final 20%, payment being made to farmers as soon as possible thereafter.
"2015 has seen a cashflow crisis affecting all sectors of the industry in Wales, meaning that the value of EU support payments are as important as they have ever been in helping to compensate farmers for market failure, to help manage price volatility and to reward high standards of farming, thus ensuring the key objectives of the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) are met.
“BPS payments are vital not just to farmers but to the wider rural economy, feed and fertiliser merchants, machinery dealers, agricultural contractors and thousands of rural businesses the length and breadth of Wales are impacted if this support is not paid promptly.”
“We recognise that this, the first year of a new scheme, has created significant implementation issues and we praise all the work that has gone in to ensuring payments can begin this week, including NFU Cymru staff and other professionals who supported thousands of Welsh farmers completing applications in the weeks leading up to the 15 May deadline.
Deputy farming minister Rebecca Evans, who will visit the Royal Welsh Winter Fair, said: "Over 50% of our farmers’ claims have already been processed and their part-payments should be with them within the first week.
“This has been helped by the fact that 72% of applications were submitted using our online service, which cuts down on mistakes and consequential delays.”
"Calling RPW staff will simply take them away from validating further claims for payment,” she said.
“I appreciate farmers will still have queries of a non-BPS payment nature but our well-respected Farm Liaison Service will be on-hand throughout this period.”
