Hill Farm Allowance 2008 - Partial payments update

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has now made Hill Farm Allowance (HFA) 2008 partial payments to 4,862 claimants, totalling approximately £11.64 million.

RPA announced partial payments had begun on 13 February 2008, nearly two months earlier than in 2007.

Remaining claimants will receive partial or full HFA payments when all the administrative checks have been completed, provided their SPS claim is also fully validated.

European Rural Development Regulations mean that RPA can only pay up to 75% of the full value of each HFA claim until the compliance inspection programme is completed. Claimants will receive the remaining 25% of their claim once the inspection programme for England has been completed.


Notes to Editors

1. HFA was first introduced in 2001 as one of the ten schemes in England’s Rural Development Programme. The scheme provides dedicated support to beef and sheep farmers in England’s upland areas. It recognises the difficulties that farmers face in these regions and the vital role they play in maintaining the landscape and rural communities of the hills.

2. Approximately 9,500 farmers have claimed HFA in 2008 and these are currently being checked for eligibility.

3. HFA will continue to be available until the end of 2009 under the new Rural Development Programme for England (which will operate until 2013).

4. The payment rates for HFA 2008 were announced by Lord Rooker, Minister for Sustainable Food and Farming and Animal Health on 7 February 2008 and have been set as follows in the Hill Farm Allowance Regulations 2008 (S.I. 2008/51).

Area (hectares)	Severely Disadvantaged Land (other than moorland or common land) (£/ha)	Severely Disadvantaged Land (moorland or common land) (£/ha)
0 – 350	37.31	14.12
351 – 700	18.655	7.06

5. RPA is an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). It is the single paying agency responsible for CAP schemes in England and is responsible for administering the Single Payment Scheme (SPS). Other key services include carrying out rural inspections and livestock tracing.

Media only contact

Ciaran Baker, RPA Press Office, 0118 968 7680, ciaran.baker@rpa.gsi.gov.uk