DEFRA Criticism Well Justified

The Independent Commons Committee on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has criticised DEFRA and the Rural Payments Agency (RPA), in a recent press release, for their failure to plan and develop the new Single Payment Scheme adequately.

Andrew Bays, a partner at BCM the rural asset management company in Winchester says " We are not surprised that the Commons Committee has been deeply unimpressed with the implementation of the Single payment Scheme. It is our experience that at virtually every stage in this application process we have found either the advice or response inadequate, or that the systems in place simply have not worked.

For example only last week we received maps for one farm which had been returned to us for the fourth time by the RPA and were still inaccurate, despite many calls, E mails and correspondence.

We at BCM are still heavily involved in negotiations with the RPA over issues such as the National Reserve Awards and Private Contract Clauses. Given the relative lack of progress in this respect (including a significant number of National Reserve Awards being made that appear incorrect) we are surprised at Lord Bach's statement that the payments will be paid in February as suggested. However if this can be achieved it is to be much appreciated.

This is in no way a criticism of RPA staff who have clearly worked extremely hard to fulfil their given timescale. It would seem far more sensible to have taken the option to defer the whole Single Payment Scheme for a year, to come into effect from 2006 rather than 2005. "