Single Payment Scheme

George Eustice Excerpts

Wednesday 4th December 2013 Written Statements

[The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (George Eustice)]

The window for payments to farmers in England under the EU CAP single payment scheme (SPS) for 2013 opened on 1 December 2013.

On 2 December 2013, the first banking day of the payment window, the Rural Payments Agency paid over £1.48 billion to 95,600 farmers, more than ever before on the first banking day of the payment window. This equates to 89.3% of the estimated fund value and 92.3% of customers. This represents the highest number of customers receiving their payments from the Rural Payments Agency on this day, which continues to build on the agency’s best ever performance last year. This is excellent news for English farmers and for the wider rural economy.

The agency will shortly contact all of those farmers who are unlikely to receive their payments in December to explain what further work is necessary to validate their claims and to set out an estimated timetable for payment.

The agency is working to a commitment, set out in its business plan for 2013-14, to pay 86% of payments by value and 93% of customers by number by 31 December 2013 and 97% of payments by value and 97% of customers by the 31st March 2014.

The payments made on the first banking day equate to 89.3% of the estimated fund value, meaning the agency has already exceeded its end of December target of 86%, paying £100 million more on the first day this year than it did last year. I will keep the House updated on its progress against delivery to customers.