The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has today (20 September 2022) published the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) entitlement rates.

The Basic Payment Scheme is a rural payment that provides financial help to the farming industry. From this year, BPS payments are going to be made in two instalments each year for the remainder of the agricultural transition period to help farmers with their cashflow. Around 50% of the overall payment amounting to over £679m was issued in the summer, with the remaining balance expected to land in farmers’ bank accounts from December.

For 2022, BPS payment rates for England are set in Sterling. These are the same rates as for 2021 and were used to calculate the BPS 2022 advances issued earlier this year.

Rates

More information on BPS is available on GOV.UK and a progressive reductions calculator is also available.

There is also a package of ongoing and one-off payments for farmers, such as the new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) introduced under the Agricultural Transition Plan. These are open to farmers who claim BPS only, or those who claim BPS but have land in Countryside Stewardship or Environmental Stewardship. BPS farmers with common land should contact the RPA who will help with their application. The SFI is easy to apply for online, and gives farmers an ongoing payment that will reward sustainable practices which support food production and benefit the environment.

Further one-off grants are also available, including the Farming Investment Fund, Farming Innovation Programme and the Future Farming Resilience Fund.

Under BPS, farmers need to hold an entitlement for every hectare of eligible land they are claiming on. The size of farmers’ payments will depend on how many entitlements they use, supported by eligible land and the value of those entitlements.

Farmers are also reminded to beware of fraud as fraudsters may target farmers who receive subsidy payments.

Information

• farmers are encouraged to sign into the Rural Payments service to check their details are up to date, including email, mailing address and bank account details.
• the RPA can be contacted on the following email address: ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk; and phone number: 03000 200 301 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm).