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Single Farm Payment Scheme INFORMATION LEAFLETS 1 - 8

INFORMATION LEAFLET 4

INFORMATION FOR AGRI-ENVIRONMENT
SCHEME PARTICIPANTS
CHANGING YOUR REFERENCE AMOUNT

Who should read this leaflet?

Agri-environment participants in 2000, 2001 and 2002 who are entitled to the Single Farm Payment.

You need only take action if your production in the reference period was affected as a result of being in any of the following schemes;

• Environmentally Sensitive Area Scheme,

• Organic Aid Scheme,

• Rural Stewardship Scheme,

• Countryside Premium Scheme

• Habitats Scheme.

This is because some of the management options for agri-environment schemes include an element of compensation for loss of CAP subsidy (e.g. stock disposal, water margin management).

If this applies you can request re-assessment of your single farm payment reference amount using scheme(s) where production was not affected because of participation in agri-environment measures.

The purpose of these arrangements is to ensure that your Single Farm Payment is not affected by your participation in an agri-environment scheme.

What this means for you

Suppose you joined the Countryside Premium Scheme in 2000. As part of your management agreement, you agreed to reduce the numbers of sheep grazing. Your Sheep Annual Premium Scheme claims in the reference period look like this:-

In the Single Farm Payment statement we have sent we will have calculated your Single Farm Payment based on 100 animals.

However, you now have the chance to request that the schemes affected by your participation in the Countryside Premium Scheme be excluded from the calculation. In this example, this would mean excluding SAPS for years 2001 and 2002 with the following result

We will then calculate the SAPS element of your Single Farm Payment based on 150 animals.

Changes beyond 2000 to 2002

If all three years for any particular scheme from the original reference periods (2000 to 2002) are excluded, then the Single Farm Payment Scheme reference amount can be based on the period 1997 to 1999.

If you were also in any agri-environment scheme during any of these years, 1997 to 1999, you will be able to apply to have your Single Farm Payment Scheme reference amount calculated on the years that were not affected by your commitment under any agri-environment scheme.

If you were in an agri-environment scheme for all six years 1997 to 2002 and your CAP schemes were adversely affected by your commitment you can apply to have your Single Farm Payment Scheme reference amount calculated under objective criteria. In such cases, the objective criteria set for Scotland allows you to be on a par with those farmers not affected by commitments under the agri-environment schemes.

Important points to remember in thinking about changing a reference period

The change to the calculation of the reference amount for the purposes of the Single Farm Payment Scheme is not automatic. We will consider requests only where you can demonstrate that claims under the CAP schemes were reduced in any or all of the years 2000 to 2002. This means that there was an actual drop in the number of animals and/or hectares of arable land claimed under the CAP scheme(s) because of the commitment under the agri-environment scheme concerned.

If you are seeking to amend your reference amounts, you will still be required to:

• demonstrate the impact of participation in the agri-environment scheme(s) on the subsidy scheme(s) relevant to the Single Farm Payment Scheme ;

• if appropriate, provide supporting evidence; and

• apply in writing to your Area Office.

Because the European Commission are concerned about the issue of, double funding in respect of the Single Farm Payment and agri-environment schemes we intend to conduct a review of the payment rates under all agri-environment schemes which will be payable from 2005 onwards. This will mean that payments for some management agreements will be reduced in future in order to recognise that payment will be made through the Single Farm Payment Scheme. This will happen even if you have not opted to remove a relevant scheme from your entitlement calculation.

Your next steps

It is important that you consider carefully whether you wish to apply to remove a scheme from your SFPS calculation. Doing this will make sure that you do not lose out because of your participation in an agri-environment scheme.

Annex A shows the management options under all the agri-environment schemes where there is an is an element of "subsidy forgone". Only if you were undertaking one or more of these options during the reference period is it possible for your production to have been considered as adversely affected by your participation in an agri-environmnent scheme.

If you were a participant in any of the agri-environment schemes shown in Annex A and your production during the reference period 2000 to 2002 was adversely affected please complete the attached form and return to your SEERAD office by 30 November 2004.

Your Area Office will acknowledge receipt and examine your circumstances to assess if they meet the criteria that allow a change to the reference period

SFPS (2004)

ANNEX A

COUNTRYSIDE PREMIUM SCHEME

HABITATS SCHEME

ORGANIC AID SCHEME

RURAL STEWARDSHIP SCHEME

STEWARTRY ESA SCHEME

CENTRAL BORDERS ESA SCHEME

SHETLAND ESA SCHEME

CAIRNGORM STRATHS ESA SCHEME

ARGYLL ESA SCHEME

MACHAIR ESA SCHEME

LOCH LOMOND & BREADALBANE ESA SCHEMES

WESTERN & SOUTHERN UPLANDS ESA SCHEMES

Single Farm Payment Scheme - Request to Re-assess Estimate of Payment Entitlements Form pdf format (20k)

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