Hill lFarm Allowance Explanatory Booklet.pdf - The Rural Payments ...

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Part 4: Enhancement Criteria4.1 What are the enhancements?To ensure that HFA contributes to good environmental practice, payments will be increased for farmerswho can meet certain environmental criteria. You could receive a 5% or 10% increase on your basic HFAarea payment.4.2 When will payments be enhanced by 10%?Your basic payment will be increased by a minimum of 5% if you meet one of the following criteria or bya maximum of 10% if you meet both.●●maintain at least one hectare or 5% (whichever is the smaller) of the LFA area on your holding underarable cover that is not receiving other financial support and was not converted from permanentgrassland in or after 1999. We will calculate whether you meet this criterion based on the informationprovided on your Field Data Sheet. Please ensure that if you are supplying land parcel data for the firsttime on the HFA-only claim form that you use the correct codes in column B5 as appropriate;maintain at least one hectare or 5% (whichever is the smaller) of the LFA area on your holding underwoodland cover that is not receiving other woodland financial support and was not convertedfrom permanent grassland in or after 1999. We will calculate whether you meet this criterionbased on the information provided on your Field Data Sheet. Please ensure that if you are supplyingland parcel data for the first time on the HFA-only claim form that you use the correct codes incolumn B5 as appropriate.Please note that the mixed stocking enhancement, available under HFA 2006 to producers declaring botheligible breeding sheep and cows (and where at least 15% of the combined livestock units are cattle) isno longer available.A similar option existed in the Entry Level Scheme for lowland farmers which has now been extended toLFA farmers. Therefore to avoid over-compensation (i.e. payments being received from two schemes forthe same activity) it has been removed from HFA 2007.10
Part 5: General5.1 How will payments be made?RPA’s preferred method of payment is by direct credit BACS (Bank Automated Clearing System) which is thequickest way of getting payment into your bank account. If you already receive grant and subsidypayments from RPA by direct credit, then payment under HFA will also be made by this method.5.2 Will there be any on-farm checks?We will check to make sure that you comply with the requirements of the scheme. You must allow us toinspect your forage area, to check your farm records, measure your land and count your animals at anyreasonable time. Inspection visits may occur without notice. If you refuse to allow an inspection, obstructan inspecting officer or fail to give reasonable assistance this will lead to a loss of payment and may giverise to prosecution. This is in line with Council Regulation 1698/2005.5.3 What is the legal basis of the scheme?The HFA scheme implements article 36a (ii) of (European) Council Regulation 1698/2005 and the relevantparts of articles 13–21 of Council Regulation 1257/1999. The detailed scheme rules are contained in theCommission Regulations covering Transitional Support, Controls and Implementation, together with theRural Development Regulations under which the RDPE will be drawn up.At the time of writing only the Commission Regulation covering Transitional Support (1360/2005) iscurrently in place. The remaining regulations have been agreed but not yet published.Payments will be made under the Hill Farm Allowance Regulations 2007, although this too is currently indraft form. For the list of relevant legal provisions, please see Annex B.5.4 What if I have a complaint about RPA administration?If you are not happy with the way RPA has dealt with your payment, please contact the RPA CustomerService Centre (CSC), who will make sure that your complaint is investigated fully and that you receive anexplanation of their findings. If you are still unhappy with the outcome, you will be advised how to takeyour complaint further.5.5 Will details of my application be passed by RPA to anyone else?Your HFA payment is liable to income tax, therefore, should they request it, details of your payment may besupplied to the Inland Revenue. In addition, information from your application may be passed by the RPA,in confidence, to duly authorised agents for the purpose of verifying its accuracy, evaluating the scheme orto assist in wider areas of work within RPA’s interests.For example, if your 2006 SPS application contained any eligible forage area in Wales, Scotland or NorthernIreland (the Devolved Administrations), copies of your application will be forwarded to the relevantDevolved Administration.11
Page 1 and 2: Hill Farm AllowanceExplanatory Book
Page 3 and 4: ContentsPart 1: Introduction to the
Page 5 and 6: Part 2: Eligibility Requirements2.1
Page 7 and 8: Hill Farm Allowance Explanatory Boo
Page 11: Hill Farm Allowance Explanatory Boo
Page 21 and 22: Annex C: Ineligible Cattle Breeds
Page 24: Cover photographs provided byRobert

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