The BPS entitlement value for 2021 is £116.86 which appears to be around 4% (£5.30) less than the combined total of the BPS and greening payment values for 2020 which was £122.16.

Following previous assurances that the BPS budget for 2021 would provide the same level of direct payments to farmers in 2021, as was provided in 2020, the FUW requested clarification from RPW as to why the entitlement value is lower than expected.

In response, RPW has clarified that "In previous years the Greening payment allocated to each eligible claimant was calculated based on the activated entitlements in a particular scheme year. For 2021 the previous Greening budget has been incorporated in full into the BPS entitlement budget, however, the value of the Greening budget has currently been distributed across all entitlements held in our register and not just those that have been activated.”

“Prior to making BPS 2021 payments we will take account of all the entitlements held that are not claimed, together with the value of unclaimed National Reserve and will increase the value of the entitlements activated. BPS 2021 claimants will then see their entitlement value increase and a BPS payment in line with what was received for 2020."

These figures do not include the redistributive payment which is paid on the first 54 hectares of any claim.

We understand that the issue of Glastir contract extensions has been included in a policy proposals paper which is currently under consideration by the Minister for Rural Affairs, North Wales and Trefnydd Lesley Griffiths in relation to a domestically funded Rural Development Plan for Wales.

Following consultation earlier this year, Red Tractor has made amendments to its Version 5 Standards for the five different sectors.

The majority of the proposed environmental standards have been put on hold until legislation on environmental protection in Wales and England has been finalised.

Nitrogen fertiliser will need to be stored safely and out of sight, rather than locked indoors as originally proposed, and producers will be required to document up to date slurry storage calculations.

In terms of personnel, new staff will be required to receive an induction, which will have to be documented, including an explanation of health and safety policies and management reporting lines. All farms must also need a written health and safety policy.

The personnel and environmental standards which have not been included in the revised Version 5 standards have become ‘modular’ standards which will allow for the producer and processor or milk buyer to agree on which ones they wish to include as part of their farm assurance.

The Farmers’ Union of Wales (FUW) has supported the National Association of Agricultural Contractors’ (NAAC) work, in collaboration with the Sustainable Control of Parasites in Sheep (SCOPS), to produce a new Code of Practice for the mobile dipping of sheep.

Sheep scab is prevalent in around a quarter of Welsh sheep flocks and costs the industry around £12 million every year.

The FUW worked with the Sheep Scab Industry Group to submit an industry-led sheep scab report to Welsh Government in 2018 which recognised the need for coordinated treatment across contiguous premises and outlined a sheep scab control programme which would increase the likelihood of neighbouring farms working together to eradicate scab through a more holistic and workable approach.

Despite a free pilot scheme for the testing of skin scrape samples, the industry is yet to receive the promised £5.1 million for an eradication programme from more than 2 years ago.

FUW members are reminded that resources from the National Animal Disease Information Service (NADIS) are available on the members’ section of the FUW website.

Every month, there are new animal health related webinars, risk assessments and sheep and cattle bulletins uploaded for FUW members to easily access here: https://www.fuw.org.uk/en/members/nadis

For August:
Webinar - Ewe nutrition pre tupping to early pregnancy
Risk Assessment - Sheep liver fluke
Sheep Bulletin - Trace element deficiencies
Cattle Bulletin - Abortion