Rural Payments Agency Issues

Watching the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) fail to get to grips with outstanding problems that exist from the introduction of the new Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) in 2015 is like watching a slow motion car crash.

The problem is that although the majority of farmers have received the correct payments for 2015, there are still a significant number of farmers who have not received the correct payments and in some instances this also means they have not been awarded the correct number of BPS entitlements which will impact on the 2016 claim and beyond.

The problem is that there appears to be no way of speaking to anyone at the RPA with whom one can actually discuss the problem.  All one can do is write in to the generic email address explaining the problem and then wait…and wait….

Eventually a letter will arrive re-assessing the claim and in most instances this is probably correct but I have personally experienced one situation where the re-assessment is still very wrong.  All I have been told is to email in again and explain the same situation yet again.

The problem is that there is no one to talk to who you can discuss the situation with and there appears to be no way of influencing the speed at which the claim will be processed.  This is an increasingly worrying situation because the 2016 payment window will open on December 1st and any problems from 2015 will be carried forward for a second year thereby making things worse.

If this is the case the consequence is that it will become increasingly difficult for farmers who have outstanding issues to get them resolved because understandably the RPA’s resources will become focussed on getting as many of the 2016 payments out as quickly as possible.

NFU vice-president Guy Smith has commented, “The problem is that, although we think they [the RPA] are about to draw a line under BPS 2015 payments, we are not convinced that everyone knows whether they have been paid correctly,” He went on to comment that it needs, “the skills of a forensic investigator and the time of a land agent” to work out whether or not one has been paid correctly.

But as a land agent myself I think the main problem is that even when one has established there is an error there is just no way of discussing the problem with anyone within the RPA who has the skills or knowledge to deal with this issues themselves.

If this results in last year’s errors being compounded in to 2016 and beyond it seems very likely to me that we will be arguing about missing Common Agricultural Policy support payments well beyond our eventual exit from the EU.

James Stephen MRICS FAAV
Partner
Rural Practice Chartered Surveyor, Wells
T: 01749 683381
E: james.stephen@carterjonas.co.uk

Farm borrowing in the UK

Farm borrowing in the UK has doubled in the last decade and at the end of October 2015 stood at £17.7bn but with interest rates at historically low levels, is now the moment to consider fixing rates for at least some of your long term borrowing?

This is a notoriously difficult question to answer and one on which I am not qualified to advise but what is for certain is that the long term fixed rates which are currently on offer are well below anything I have seen in my 25 year career.

Having said that, those borrowers who have stuck with variable rate loans over the last 6 or 7 years will have generally fared better than those on fixed rate loans. This is because base rates have remained fixed at 0.5 % since 2009 then fallen to 0.25% in the wake of the BREXIT referendum and while there is still potential that rates could fall further one may question why one should consider fixing one’s borrowing at all.

Well, the primary advantage of fixing rates is that you “know where you are” in terms of repayments over the fixed term of the loan. To some borrowers this is a great comfort for budgeting purposes and it outweighs the higher interest rates that are usually charged for fixed rather than variable rate loans at any one time.

However, one cannot help feeling that if a business cannot afford the low rates that are currently being offered on fixed rate loans then the business should perhaps not be borrowing the money in the first place.

Indeed it seems we are in uncharted economic waters and with interest rates and inflation remaining low, this means that the value of any money that is borrowed today will not be eroded in real terms by the effects of inflation as it was in the 1970s and 80s for example. Therefore currently, it is not so much the interest payments but the capital repayments that represent the most significant element of repaying one’s debt.

But, this era of low interest rates and low inflation may not last forever and one may rue the day that one did not take advantage of the long term fixed rates currently on offer. 

Therefore now maybe a good moment to consult your financial advisor to see what offers are out there, whether that be borrowing from one of the High Street Banks or specialist agricultural lending institutions such as the Agricultural Mortgage Corporation.

Finally whatever decision you do make you must be sure to understand the terms of your loan and in particular where fixed rate loans are concerned you need to appreciate the potential redemption charges that may apply if you want to repay a loan early.

James Stephen MRICS FAAV
Partner
Rural Practice Chartered Surveyor, Wells
T: 01749 683381
E: james.stephen@carterjonas.co.uk

New agri-environment agreements

Farmers and landowners need to get their skates on now the government has pledged to honour existing and new agri-environment agreements beyond the UK’s departure from the EU.

This is on condition applications to the new scheme are submitted before the Chancellor’s Autumn Statement - and the application deadline for the Countryside Stewardship Scheme is September 30.

Countryside Stewardship provides financial incentives for land managers to look after their environment through activities such as:

•    Conserving and restoring wildlife habitats
•    Flood risk management
•    Woodland creation and management
•    Reducing widespread water pollution from agriculture
•    Keeping the character of the countryside
•    Preserving features important to the history of the rural landscape
•    Encouraging educational access

The scheme is open to all eligible farmers and landowners but it is competitive with points awarded on how well the application enhances local targets to maximise environmental benefit.

There are three main elements to the scheme - the Mid Tier, Higher Tier and Capital Grants.  The Higher Tier is primarily available to those farmers who are leaving an existing Higher Level Stewardship e but the Mid Tier is of interest to farmers more widely, as is the Capital Grant scheme.

Last year was the first year of this scheme and a disappointing number of applications were received because the rules are relatively complicated and the level of financial support is lower than predecessor schemes.  However, possibly because of this, all the applications my firm submitted on behalf of clients in the South West were accepted.

In making an application obviously you must focus on the priority targets for your area and these can be found on line here.

Natural England are tasked with running the scheme and if anyone wants to find out more about it, their contact details are: Natural England, County Hall, Spetchley Road, Worcester WR5 2NP. Email enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk and phone 0300 060 3900.

James Stephen MRICS FAAV
Partner
Rural Practice Chartered Surveyor, Wells
T: 01749 683381
E: james.stephen@carterjonas.co.uk