Guidance offer on scheme

Barbers' Daniel Bowden, rural partner Mike Taylor and colleague Ben Furnival are to advise on Single Payment schemes again this year.

They have also produced a Single Farm Payment fact sheet for 2008 to help. As Daniel explained: "Barbers are experts in all aspects of the Single Payment scheme and have been acting on behalf of farmers and landowners since its introduction. This fact sheet outlines the basics of the scheme along with the alterations for 2008."

Farmers and landowners should have been issued with a revised Entitlement Statement, based on the 2005 allocation and adjusted according to the reducing historic and rising regional rates.

Each entitlement must be matched against at least the same area (in hectares) for it to be claimed.

Many statements sent out at the beginning of 2007 were incorrect due to 'split batches' or entitlements transferred in/out not being shown.

The revised entitlement statements will be sent out with explanation of any calculations used, if amendments have been made. It is very important that all claimants carefully check their entitlement statements.

As in previous years the claim form (SP5) must be received by the RPA by May 15 to activate the Single Farm Payment with application form packs being sent out around mid-March 2008.

Barbers will also advise on set-aside entitlements, fruit and vegetable reforms and the ten month rule.