We are making bridging payments to farmers and land
managers to ensure all those who claimed for 2016 and / or
2017 will have received at least 75% of their payment for
those years by the end of September.
All eligible Environmental Stewardship (ES) agreement holders
who claimed for 2016 and 2017 payments and have not yet
received 75% of their claim for those years will receive a
bridging payment by the end of September.
A bridging payment is an interest-free loan to customers in
advance of their full year payment. Customers will receive
75% of the current estimated value of
their ES revenue claim.
When the full payment is processed and made, the amount
paid through the bridging payment will be held back.
Where a 50% advance payment has already been made to a
claimant, customers will receive a 25% top up when bridging
payments are made.
Letters and emails are being sent to farmers and land
managers awaiting payments this week, with a reminder to
make sure bank account and contact details on
the Rural Payments
Service are up-to-date so that bridging payments
can be made successfully.
Customers do not need to do anything to receive the
payment, as Natural England will check records to identify
eligible customers entitled to bridging payments.
Payment for environmental work undertaken is a government
priority as set out in the Agriculture Bill published
earlier this week. These payments are important to
customers, and an improvement plan to the delivery of
Environmental Stewardship and Countryside Stewardship
payments is underway, with the Rural Payments Agency taking
charge of delivery of both schemes from 1 October.
