DEFRA has published the latest cross compliance guidance. The ‘Guide to Cross Compliance in England 2018’ will not be sent out to farmers but can be read or downloaded from the DEFRA website at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/668684/Cross_Compliance_2018_guide_v1.0.pdf. There are no new rules for 2018, however DEFRA has said the way RPA checks certain rules from 1st January 2018 will change:
• GAEC 5, Minimising Soil Erosion – suitable measures to prevent soil and bankside erosion must be in place, and this can be shown during any inspection.
• SMR 7, Cattle Identification and Registration, and SMR8, Sheep and Goat Identification – all cattle and sheep are correctly identified, and that lost or damaged ear tags are replaced within the deadlines. Applicants must also make sure that any cattle notifications they make to BCMS are made within the deadlines. Although the guidance states that how these rules will be inspected will change for 2018, there is no detail on what is changing – not very helpful. We will try and find more detail and publish these in future Bulletins.
The rules are a calendar year requirement and must be met by those claiming under the Basic Payment Scheme, Countryside Stewardship Scheme, Environmental Stewardship Scheme or English Woodland Grant Scheme. Failure to comply could result in penalties being applied to these scheme payments.
