Growers dismayed with continuing uncertainty from rpa

Growers of fruit, vegetables and potato (FVP) crops have been left dismayed over the entitlement statements they have been receiving from the Rural Payments Agency.

Many growers of these crops have been sent unvalidated statements, without being given a clear explanation why that is. They are assuming it is because the FVP authorisation position is still not finalised.

Richard Hirst, NFU Board for Horticulture chairman, said: "Growers are completely in the dark as to whether they are going to receive all the authorisations that they applied for based on 2003 cropping records plus any additional allocations applied for under the national reserve or whether they have an additional allocation based on a proportion of their additional 2004/05 cropping."

Growers who wish to transfer their authorised entitlements before they are fully validated are being advised that they may do so, but at their own risk. In effect that means complete uncertainty - the authorisation figure may change and a grower (or even the transferee) may end up having authorisations 'clawed back' following full validation.

Mr Hirst said: "The situation is intolerable. Of all the categories of claimant, FVP growers need to know what they have urgently and definitively. The RPA has been made aware of this all along and here we are at the eleventh hour for the transfers of entitlements and still growers do not know where they stand'.