The RPA has confirmed that by 16th May SPS deadline, they had received 30,850 claims via SPS Online compared with 16,054 in 2010. The total number of claims received in 2011 has remained at around 105,000. Further information is available on the RPA website.
The SPS 2011 CAAV Members' Feedback Questionnaire is now available for completion. You can find it if you log in, go to Members' Documents and 'Single Payment Scheme'. We would very much appreciate if you could take the time to complete this questionnaire as it greatly assists in our discussions with the RPA and DEFRA regarding 2012 SPS as well as longer term plans. The close date for responses is Friday 10th June.
Following the Scottish Government elections, Richard Lochhead has been re-appointed to the rural affairs brief as Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and the Environment.
The final report of the independent Farming Regulation Task Force, led by Richard Macdonald, was published today. Further information and a copy of the report are available in the CAAV Members Documents section.
First Minister Carwyn Jones has announced his new Cabinet which sees Alun Davies appointed as Deputy Minister for Agriculture, Food, Fisheries and European Programmes and John Griffiths as Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development. Further details of the new Cabinet is available on the Welsh Assembly Government website.
Following the recent National Assembly 2011 election in Wales and the confirmation by Labour that it will govern alone having gained 30 of the 60 Assembly seats, Carwyn Jones has been appointed First Minister of Wales. He should be announcing his Cabinet shortly which will see a new Rural Affairs Minister, the role having formerly been fulfilled by Elin Jones. Further information is available on the Welsh Assembly Government website....
The RPA has paid 95% of farmers who claimed the Uplands Transitional Payment (UTP) for the first time on the 2010 SP5 form. UTP was introduced last year as a result of the end of the Hill Farm Allowance and the introduction of Uplands Entry Level Stewardship. Further information is available on the RPA website.
The farming press reports that animal health officials are investigating a TB outbreak in a closed dairy herd near Penrith, in a part of Cumbria previously largely unaffected by the disease.
It seems that the Badger Trust is preparing for further legal proceedings against the Welsh Assembly Government in relation to the recently approved Order which would allow the culling of badgers in the Intensive Action Area (IAA). The Trust has formally written to the Welsh Assembly Government setting out why they believe the Order should be revoked. The letter can be viewed on the Badger Trust website....
With effect from 1st April, Animal Health and the Veterinary Laboratories Agency have merged to form the Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratories Agency (AHVLA). Further information is available on the Animal Health website.
The Soil Association has published its 2011 Organic Market Report which has shown a 5.9% drop in the sales of organic products in 2010. The area of land managed organically hasalso decreased to 739,709 hectares (0.6% decrease) and the number of organic producers fell to 7,567 (4.2% decrease). Further information is available on the Soil Association website...
Agriculture Minister Jim Paice has today made a statement to Parliament to confirm that manual 2010 SPS payments will be made to over 2000 farmers over the next couple of months where it would not have been possible to make a system payment by the close of the payment window on 30th June 2011. The Minister's statement can be viewed by clicking here.
Welsh Assembly Government Members yesterday voted in support of the badger cull in Intensive Action Area (IAA) under the Badger (Control Area) (Wales) Order 2011. Further information is available on the Welsh Assembly Government website.
Fuel duty will be cut by 1p per litre from 6pm tonight and this year's proposed increase in fuel duty is delayed until 2012.
The Chancellor has announced that the limit for Entrepreneurs' Relief will be increased to £10 million (from £5 million). More details to follow soon.
The rates of Corporation Tax are to be cut by 2% this year (instead of 1% as previously announced) and a further 1% for the next 3 years, the Chancellor has announced.
The Chancellor has announced a consultation on the proposed merger of Income Tax and National Insurance.
The RPA has today made the blank RLE1 form available on their website to print off and use. Please see the RPA website for further information.
Agriculture Minister Jim Paice has announced that Animal Health budgets will be devolved from 1st April 2011. The budgets have been shared on the basis of historic spending and animal numbers. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
The draft model clauses covering CAP Reform issues for FBT agreements are now available on the CAAV website in a Word document for members to download and amend for their own use. The clauses are in the Members' Documents section under Professional Matters / Model Clauses and Agreements.
DEFRA has today launched a package of measures to support farmers in the uplands as part of their Uplands Policy Review. Further information is available in Members' Documents, Grants and Regulations, Uplands Support.
DECC has unveiled its plans for a Renewable Heat Incentive, with payments to support biomass boilers; ground and water source heat pumps; and geothermal, solar thermal and biogas systems. The full system of payments will be available to households from October 2012. Further details will be posted in the Members' Documents section of the website soon.
A CAAV Spring Briefing is being held on 16th March near Newark. This is a full day briefing for CAAV members which will cover a range of topics and emerging issues including:- Renewables and Telecoms CAP reform post 2013 Single Payment Scheme, inc 2011 claims, SPS Online Environmental Stewardship Further information and booking form can be found in the Events section of this website....
The RPA has begun making payments for the Uplands Transitional Payment scheme which was applied for on the 2010 SP5 form. Further information is available on the RPA website.
Brownyn Hill is to be the new Permanent Secretary for DEFRA with effect from 28th March 2011. She will take over from Peter Unwin who has been acting Permanent Secretary. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
The Welsh Assembly Government has made 95% of Tir Mynydd 2011 payments as of yesterday (1st March). Further information, including confirmation of the rates, is available on the Welsh Assembly Goverment website.
A consultation has been launched on proposals for a High Speed Rail Link between London and Birmingham. The new consultation website contains all the documents and the consultation closes on 29th July 2011.
The sales of Forestry Commission property in England which were announced as part of the Spending Review have been suspended pending a review of the criteria used to select sites for sale. This is unconnected to the ongoing consultation about the future of the remainder of the Forestry Commission estate which is open until 21st April 2011. Further information about this suspension is available on the DEFRA website....
Jane Davidson, Wales' Environment Minister, has announced £2 million funding to support improvements to the planning service in Wales. She has also announced changes to the way in which the funding is allocated with planning authorities applying for a share of £1.75 million and a further £250,000 being spent on improvements to the service including the development of an online planning portal. Further information is available on the Welsh Assembly Government website....
The Treasury has announced funding of £10 million to roll out superfast broadband in north Wales. Further information is available on the Treasury website.
Chris Huhne, Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, has announced that a review of Feed-in Tariffs will begin today. Rates for large scale solar schemes will be under particular scrutiny. Further information is available in the Members Documents section.
Professor David Hill has been appointed as the new Deputy Chair of Natural England, as post that has been vacant since December 2009 when Poul Christensen, the previous Deputy Chair, was appointed Chair. The appointment will run until 30th September 2012. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
The recently published monthly TB stats have shown a decrease in the number of cattle slaughtered relating to bovine TB in 2010 with 6,587 slaughtered in the period January to October 2010 compared with 9,146 during the same period in 2009. Wales' Rural Affairs Minister has welcomed this improvement and further information is available on the Welsh Assembly Government website....
The devolved administrations of Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have written to DEFRA setting out their views in terms of the forthcoming negotiations for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) post 2013. Further information is available on the Welsh Assembly Government website.
Elin Jones has made a statement to the National Assembly for Wales laying down her views with regard to the proposals made available thus far relating to the reform of Common Agricultural Policy post 2013. Further information is available on the Welsh Assembly Government website.
It is with great sadness that we have to report the passing away of Graham Martyn yesterday. In addition to his practice, he had devoted much time to the profession and the CAAV having been national President in 2007-8 and previously Chairman of the CAAV Livestock and Auctions Committee. We send our sincere condolences to his family.
DEFRA has confirmed that H1N1 has been found in turkeys on a Cheshire farm. Further information is available on the DEFRA website.
This one-day conference has been organised bythe Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV) and the South Wales Society of Chartered Accountants and is essential for all rural economy practitioners and advisers. Please go to the events section of the website for further information and booking form.
Caroline Spelman, Environment Secretary, has today delivered a speech at the Oxford Farming Conference including comments about the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) which will take effect from 2014, the fact that she believes that farmers in Europe should become less reliant on subsidies and that the new CAP should look "fundamentally different". Further information about her speech relating to the new CAP can be found on the DEFRA website. Her complete speech at the OFC is also available on...
The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has met its first target for Single Payment Scheme 2010 payments of making payments to 85% of eligible claimants by 31st December 2010. Further information is available on the RPA website.