CLA welcomes farm payments extension

The CLA has welcomed the Rural Payments Agency’s decision to extend application deadlines for the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and Countryside Stewardship (CS), Environmental Stewardship (ES) and woodland legacy revenue payments by one month.

Farmers and land managers will now have until 15 June to submit their applications without penalty, following the disruption caused by Covid-19. 

CLA President Mark Bridgeman said:

“The CLA welcomes this extension which acts as a safety blanket for farmers unable to contact their agents or access the RPA’s advisers.

“However, we would still encourage farmers to submit their BPS claims electronically by the original deadline of 15 May as it would assist the RPA in making payments in December.”

Applications for new CS Higher Tier and Mid Tier agreements are still being accepted ahead of their respective deadlines of 1 May and 31 July 2020.