Rural Payments Agency Confirms Rates For 2021 BPS Payments

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has published the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) entitlement rates and payments will begin to land in farmers’ bank accounts in December. 

For 2021, BPS payment rates for England are set in Sterling and the Non-SDA Region rate is £233.30/Ha, the SDA-Other Region is £231.60/Ha and the Moorland SDA Region is £64.00/Ha. In order to simplify BPS payments, from 2021 farmers no longer have to meet the greening requirements that used to apply to land in England and that money has now been added to the overall rate.

Farmers still have to meet Cross Compliance – the minimum standards on the environment, animal and plant health, and animal welfare, such as rules on hedges and buffer strips.

Starting from 2021, payments will be reduced with initial bigger reductions in higher payment bands. More information on BPS reductions is available on GOV.UK and on page 7 of the ‘Farming is Changing’ leaflet. A Defra Progressive reductions calculator is also available to farmers.

Please follow the link for more details https://www.gov.uk/government/news/basic-payment-scheme-2021-entitlement-rates

For more information about this, please email catherinejohnston@listerhaigh.co.uk

• If you would like advice and assistance about any agricultural matters, our Agricultural Consultancy Service covers farm business appraisals, basic payment schemes, stewardship, ELMS & SFI schemes, contract & share farming arrangements, enterprise costings and cashflows as well as all aspects of farm management. Please email johnhaigh@listerhaigh.co.uk or williampheasey@listerhaigh.co.uk for more details.