The NFU first raised with the RPA (Rural Payments Agency) our concerns about the impact the dry weather will be starting to have on farms and agri-environmental agreement scheme delivery and the need for a pro-active approach.
The RPA advised that if agreement holders are affected, they need to contact the RPA for either a MTA (Minor Temporary Adjustment) for Countryside Stewardship or a CoC (Change of Circumstance) for SFI, the RPA would monitor the situation.
The NFU has continued to raise our concerns on this nearly weekly at every relevant RPA meeting since. The NFU urged the RPA to act early and warned that farmers would be nervous about submitting an MTA/CoC due to the payment repercussions; numbers of MTA/CoC alone would not be representative of the impact.