RPA Chief updates farmers on latest Single Payment Scheme 2011 Payment Success

fter a record breaking December, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has continued the drive to get all-important Single Payment Scheme cash out to English farmers with latest figures showing £1.514 billion – 87.5% of the estimated fund value – had been paid to 95,950 English farmers by last  Friday (20th January).

RPA Chief Executive Mark Grimshaw told delegates at the National Farmers’ Union (NFU) Council this week (Tuesday) that 91.5% of eligible claimants had been paid.

He also announced that manually calculated payments were being made two months earlier this year for claimants with long-standing, case specific issues which made system calculation and payment before the end of June unlikely.  Some claims had been paid in January and a substantial number would get their payments in February.

Mr Grimshaw said better and earlier communications with farmers who remained unpaid at the end of December was another improvement made this year:

“You have told us that knowing what is happening to a claim is vitally important for those who are waiting for their SPS payment. We said we would improve our communication to these individuals and we have started by doing two things. Our personalised letter, sent several weeks earlier than last year, explained what work was outstanding on each individual’s claim – so far more personal and specific than a standard, system generated letter. And to help with business planning, we gave an indication of the time it typically takes us to finalise similar claims. “

Another driver for success was introducing Performance Indicators which set realistic expectations for customers but also provided real improvements on previous years:

“Each of our SPS 2011 indicators either betters or matches performance during any previous scheme year.    We met the first of these indicators two weeks early, in mid-December. By the end of December, RPA had made payments amounting to £1.427 billion –82.5% of the estimated fund value - to 92,066 English farmers – some 87.8% of eligible claimants.  This represented the highest ever proportion of payments made by the Agency in the opening month of the payment window and is an early indication that we can deliver the quality of service that English farmers demand.”