With most farmers breathing a sigh of relief that their 2008 SPS claim forms have been submitted, they now need to ensure that no deductions will be made from their payment due to cross compliance breaches. To help farmers check they are compliant, Herefordshire FWAG is offering a health check.

“This is a simple procedure which covers the full list of SMRs and GAECs,” said Margot Porter, FWAG’s development manager. “It involves the farmer sitting down with one of our advisers and going through a check list of all the cross compliance issues that might form part of an inspection. “At the end of the check, the farmer is given a list of the areas where he is not compliant and recommendations to remedy the situation. He will also be given a folder with all the necessary documentation ready for any inspection.” The FWAG health check takes about a couple of hours, depending on the size and the complexity of the farming business but it could be time well spent said Mrs Porter.

Among failures in 2007 were cattle movement and ID where around 1,200 failures were found, which resulted in just over 500 farmers having 1% of their payment deducted and a further 300 having 3% deducted. Other failures included incorrect tagging of sheep and not keeping records of medicines and deaths of animals. Farmers not completing their soil protection reviews resulted in 30 farmers losing 3% of their payment. Not taking reasonable steps to control invasive and injurious weeds was another area where farmers lost payment.

One of the biggest failures was under GAEC 14, the protection of hedgerows and watercourses, where farmers had applied pesticide, fertiliser or cultivated in the 2-metre protection zone, resulting in up to 3% of payment being lost.

Herefordshire FWAG chairman, Patrick Wrixon who farms at Norton Canon, had a health check by FWAG adviser, Mike Williams. “Keeping up to date with current regulations is an important part of any farming business. The financial penalties for not doing so can be quite severe,” he said.

“Inspections from the ‘paper police’ are intended to be spontaneous, with no advance warning. It is very comforting to know that you are up to speed, in control and relaxed about getting that knock on the door. It is a very worthwhile, cost-effective exercise.” The FWAG health check also covers environmental schemes such as HLS and ELS, again ensuring that the farmer is compliant with the rules of the scheme.

The cost of the health check is based upon the complexity of the farming enterprise and the time taken.

For more information contact FWAG advisers: Mike Williams 01544 318716, Janet Lomas 01684 578857, Caroline Hanks 01981 251016.