Cross Compliance – Are You Prepared for an RPA Cross Compliance Visit?

Recently I have seen a huge increase in support required for RPA Cross Compliance inspections.  With auditors only giving 24 hours’ notice and a lot of records required for evidence, some are failing (resulting in 3-5% decrease in their Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payment) due to being unaware of the rules around Cross Compliance – How well do you know the Cross Compliance requirements?

Cross Compliance is a set of rules that farmers and land managers must follow if they are claiming the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), Countryside Stewardship (CS), Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) or Higher-Level Stewardship (HLS).

See below an example of some of the requirements for the Cross Compliance Good Agricultural and Environment Conditions (GAECs) and Statuary Management Requirements (SMR’s):

• Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ) – if you have land that is in an NVZ, open/closed application periods for slurry etc. must be followed (see previous articles for open/closed period dates).  Auditors are looking for previous 5 years of records to include application records, storage calculations, Total N Limits and risk maps
• Hedge cutting – no cutting of hedges is to be done from 1^st March – 1^st September Hedge/tree coppicing and laying can continue from 1^st March to 30^th April
• Buffer strips on watercourses – 2m green cover buffer strip to be provided along watercourses/ditches.  No cultivating, fertilising, or pesticide usage within the 2m strip. Risk maps must be kept
• Public Rights of Way – any Public Rights of Way must be kept accessible, with no obstructions and with stiles/gates/bridges maintained for safe use
  

If you would like to know more about preparing for an RPA Cross Compliance visit and how we can help you maintain and collate all the paperwork required ready for inspection, please call Emily Bunn
on 07944 680469 or email emilybunn@fcgagric.com