Rural Payments and Services

The 2016 Cross Compliance guidance, which sets out the rules made up of ‘Statutory Management Requirements’ (SMRs) and ‘Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions’ (GAECs), is available on the Rural Payments and Services website.

The Cross Compliance rules continue to apply as they did in 2015, with just one small change to remove the 2015 exemption from GAEC 7.

Cross Compliance applies for the whole of the calendar year – from 1 January to 31 December 2016 – and to all the land within a business, including seasonally rented land and common grazings.

In order for applicants to receive full payments they must meet the Cross Compliance rules for the following schemes:

• Basic Payment Scheme (including Greening and Young Farmer payments)
• Scottish Suckler Beef Support Scheme (Mainland and Islands)
• Scottish Upland Sheep Support Scheme
• Less Favoured Area Support Scheme (LFASS)

And any payments relating to Scottish Rural Development Programme measures, including:

• Afforestation and creation of woodland
• Establishment of agroforestry systems
• Agri-Environment Climate Scheme options
• Organic farming
• Animal welfare
• Forest-environment and climate service, and forest conservation
• Beef Efficiency Scheme

Please see the Rural Payments and Services website here for more detailed information or to create a printable version of the guidance.