Lodders welcomes SPS changes

A leading Warwickshire lawyer specialising in agricultural and rural affairs has welcomed the Government's decision to scrap the ten month rule governing the period for which farmers must have land at their disposal in order to qualify for payment under the Single Payment Scheme (SPS).

The SPS was introduced in England in 2005 following the 2003 Common Agricultural Policy reforms.

Helen Gough, a lawyer in the agricultural department at Lodders of Stratford-upon-Avon, said the new regime would benefit farmers by reducing complications relating to the transfer or letting of land with entitlements.

Following agreement at the EU Agriculture Council, farmers will be required from the 2008 scheme year to have the land used to support their SPS claims at their disposal on just one day.

In the UK, that day will be May 15 each scheme year. This replaces the previous requirement for farmers to have land at their disposal for a period of ten months.

Miss Gough also issued a warning to farmers: "It is the SPS applicant who is responsible for making sure that cross compliance requirements are met for the whole calendar year.

"From April 1 this applies even if the applicant is not in occupation of the land for the entire year.

"It now means that farmers have greater flexibility to transfer land throughout the year rather than being restricted by the ten month rule."

She added: "The new regime for the SPS should make applications less complicated for the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) and so enable them to generate payments more quickly."

Around £1.5 billion is expected to be paid out annually under the scheme to English farmers by the Rural Payments Agency, part of Defra.