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  Rural Payments Agency 'failed farmers' says MP  

South Norfolk MP Richard Bacon has said the Rural Payments Agency failed England’s farmers in its implementation of the 2005 Single Payment Scheme. 

Mr Bacon, a member of the Commons public accounts committee, was speaking as the National Audit Office published its report into the delays in administering the 2005 Single Payment Scheme in England.

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) failed to meet its own target to pay 96 per cent of £1.5 billion in single payment funds by March 2006.  Only 27 per cent of 116,000 eligible farmers received payments totalling £225 million by the RPA’s self-imposed deadline. 
 

The report also finds the RPA underestimated the complexity of the scheme and was unable to measure progress, relying instead on over-optimistic progress reports.  The Agency also decided to combine the introduction of the system with ambitious reforms aimed at making £164 million in efficiency savings by 2008-9.  However, this led to the RPA losing experienced staff precisely when it needed them most.  The planned savings are now unlikely to be made.

Mr Bacon said today: “The Rural Payments Agency bungled the 2005 Single Payment from top to bottom.  It underestimated just how much work was needed to implement such a complex scheme and had no means of measuring progress.  The Agency simply assumed all was well and by the time it became clear the scheme was in serious trouble, it was already too late”. 

“The RPA has failed England’s farmers, a substantial number of whom have faced real hardship and distress as a result of this shambles.  What’s more, there is little chance things will be put right in time to deal with this year’s claims”. 

18 October 2006

See also:
NAO REPORT: Delays in the 2005 Single Payment Scheme
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© Richard Bacon 2010