The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has confirmed today that
farmers and land managers will be offered bridging payments
for unpaid claims on their stewardship agreements.
The interest-free loans will cover Countryside Stewardship
and Environmental Stewardship 2019 payments to ensure
farmers and land managers are paid for the important work
they do to protect the environment.
Eligible claimants will receive a payment in May for 75% of
the current estimated value of their claims to help with
farm business cash flow while the remaining processing is
completed on their claims.
This builds on the announcement made yesterday to extend
the claim window for 2020 as part of a suite of measures
the RPA is undertaking to help rural businesses affected by
coronavirus.
RPA Chief Executive Paul Caldwell said:
We are committed to driving up performance on the
Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship
schemes, but these bridging payments will help to tide
farmers and land managers over in May before their claims
are paid.
We know this is a difficult time for farmers and rural
businesses, and our focus remains on processing the
remaining claims so they can be paid as quickly as
possible.
A bridging payment is an interest-free loan to customers
ahead of their full payment, providing them with 75% of the
current estimated value of their claim. Once the full
payment has been processed and made, the amount already
issued through a bridging payment will be held back.
As the vast majority (99%) of Basic Payment Scheme claims
have already been paid in full to customers, the RPA will
not be making bridging payments to BPS customers this year.
The RPA is working quickly to resolve the few outstanding
applications where payment is due.
The RPA will be writing directly to farmers and land
managers to provide an update on bridging payments and on
how these payments will be calculated.
