Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask Her Majesty's Government how many farmers are awaiting Countryside Stewardship payments from 2018.

Payments for 2018 Countryside Stewardship claims are underway and 20% of eligible agreement holders have received their advance payment. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is working towards paying 95% of 2018 advance payments by the end of March and will issue bridging payments, in early April, to eligible agreement holders who have not received a payment by the end of March. In addition the RPA is aiming to pay 95% of eligible final payments by the end of July 2019.

The RPA took on administration of Countryside Stewardship in October 2018 and is continuing to simplify the administration of the scheme as far as possible under the current EU system.