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Agri-Facts Issue 23Single Payment Scheme The 2012 Single Farm Payment Application window is now officially open. Farmers who applied online in 2011 will not receive a paper SPS application form in the post this year. Instead, the RPA is sending them the Guidance Supplement for 2012 which includes the key updates for this scheme year. Farmers and landowners are reminded to consider carefully whether they can still satisfy their obligations under the scheme when another farmer is claiming under a different scheme on the same land – this is known as ‘dual use’. -UTP Payments Beef and sheep farmers working some of the most difficult terrain in England are receiving Uplands Transitional Payments (UTP) ranging from just over £7 to nearly £41 per hectare depending on the type and size of their land.
- Schmallenberg virus: further update on GB testing results Schmallenberg virus (SBV) infection has been identified on 235 farms. Twenty five of the positive cases have been diagnosed in cattle, 210 in sheep, and none to date in other species such as goats, camelids or deer. Currently, SBV infection has only been identified in areas predicted to be at risk of midge incursion from Northern Europe during summer / autumn 2011. We cannot rule out the possibility that domestic (local) midges may have transmitted SBV within the affected areas. Domestic midges may have been infected after biting a local animal infected last summer after incursion of continental midges. -
LFASS and SFP Scottish LFASS payments should be coming out to producers within the next couple of weeks as inspections are now completed. With regards to SDFP there are still some outstanding mapping queries to resolve though cross border claims and those with inspection queries are also likely hold ups for those who have yet to be paid. IACS and SAF forms are heading your way – check your post. If you submitted your SAF on line last year your form will be pre-populated on line and you will not receive a paper copy of the SAFor the IACS guidance. If you need these they are on line. If you have not submitted your SAF on line before, but would like to do so, you must pre-register. More info available at www.ruralpaymentsonline.com or phone 0845 601 7597. - EPC’s RICS has received confirmation from the government that the proposed changes to Energy Performance Certificates (EPCs) will go ahead on 6 April 2012. All agents should be receiving notification direct from DCLG with details of the Landmark service. The government has set up a dedicated email address for enquiries: EPC.Enquiry@communities.gsi.gov.uk The proposed changes will mean that there will be a requirement for the front page only of the EPC be 'attached' to sales and lettings particulars for all properties, both residential and commercial. RICS is seeking further clarification of how 'attached' will be defined. For auction catalogues, the definition of what constitutes particulars, and therefore what documents require the attachment of an EPC, has not changed. DCLG have set up a technical solution with Landmark to enable an EPC to be retrieved from the central register and attached to online particulars. This would be a 'free' service to agents registering for the scheme. This would mean that there would be no need for the agent to hold the information electronically within their own systems, but to simply provide the link to the centrally held document. Where there is a need to preserve the anonymity of the property address, there will also be a facility to retrieve an EPC with the address removed. There will be a small charge for this service. -
Markets: National Averages Fat Cattle £1.91- £1.95/kg LW Up 3p/kg LW on the week Fat Lamb £2.14/kg LW Up 1p/kg LW on the week Feed Wheat £168/Tonne Up £4/Tonne on the week Feed Barley £158/Tonne Up £1/Tonne on the week OSR £379/Tonne Up £9/Tonne on the week November Wheat Futures £161.70/Tonne Up approx £3.40/Tonne on the week Currency: 1 Euro = 0.83357 British pounds, a slight decrease on the previous week |
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