Farmers are still left in financial 'dire straits' due to the delays to payments made by the Rural Payments Agency as MPs questioned Environment Secretary Liz Truss.
Truss said all farmers in England have received their full payment or a bridging payment of half their expected claim. Overall, 90% of eligible farmers have received full payment.
More than 7,000 farmers have now been paid bridging payments of around 50% of likely Basic Payment Scheme 2015 claim amounts.
The bridging payments to remaining farmers were made to help with cash flow pressures. All other claimants, in total more than 90%, have received their full claim payment by the end of April.
Sleaford and North Hykeham MP Stephen Phillips highlighted a case of one of his constituents, Mrs Musson, who had her payment delayed and had further difficulties contacting the Rural Payments Agency.
"The response I had from the RPA was that the payment would come 'in due course' and that my constituent should call the agency for hardship assistance, yet this is precisely what she had been unable to do."
Truss responded that it had been the first year of implementation of the new common agricultural policy.
"All payments need to be made within the payment window between December and June, and all payments will be made within that window," she said.
"I appreciate that farmers are struggling with cash flow because of this year’s low commodity prices, which is why we have put in place bridging payments for those final few farmers who have not yet received payments.
"All that data are now on the system, so 2016 will be much more straightforward and we should be able to pay farmers much earlier in the payment window."
Rural Payments Agency Chief Executive Mark Grimshaw said: “These payments have been made by the end of April, as promised, to help remaining applicants facing financial pressures.
“With around 55% of anticipated 2016 claims already submitted or underway, we are helping those still to apply to meet the 16 May deadline.
All farmers should complete their application before the deadline even if they are waiting for the balance of the 2015 payment. Once verified, the system will automatically update their claim with any new information.”
