Rural Payments and Services

From Monday 3 October farmers and crofters who experienced a reduction and/or penalties to their 2016 claim for the Basic Payment Scheme, Greening, Young Farmer or Less Favoured Area Support scheme will receive a letter from the Scottish Government, explaining why those reductions or exclusions were made.

The letters will be issued in batches, concluding at the end of October 2022. If customers have not received a letter by that time then it’s likely there was no scheme penalty applied and the monetary amount of any scheme reduction is less than £100. This is being done to ensure that customers have an opportunity for queries to be answered by Scottish Government staff, and have the opportunity to submit an appeal if necessary.

Customers with no reductions will not receive a letter.

These letters notify deductions already made, customers will not be subject to any further reductions. The letters simply provide a breakdown of why a reduction or exclusion was made in 2016.

Further guidance on reductions and penalties

Background

Customers who do not receive a letter by the end of October 2022 but wish to request a copy of their letter can do so between 14 November 2022 and 10 February 2023.

How letters are issued depends on the customers nominated communication method. Email customers will receive an email notification telling them they have been sent a new communication to their communication log, which can be accessed by logging into their RP&S account. Letter customers will receive their communication by post.

Rural Payments Inspections Divison (RPID) would welcome and encourage customers, or their representatives, to contact their local Area Office to discuss any reductions or exclusions detailed in the R&E letter that is thought to be incorrect, to allow RPID officials the opportunity to explain the detail and negate the requirement for any customer to use the appeal process.

Should customers choose to appeal, they have 60 days from the date of the decision letter to raise an appeal request. For Cross Compliance the decision letter is the Inspection Findings Report which was issued following either the cross compliance or livestock inspection. When 60 day application period has already passed customers can no longer submit an appeal.

RPID are planning to issue the remaining 2017-2019 letter in early 2023.

Contact your local area office