As part of the Foot and Mouth disease package of measures announced by the Secretary of State on 8 October 2007, the bulk of the assistance to hill farmers has now been paid. Approximately £7.4 million had been paid out by the end of October, with the total now processed standing at £8.3 million. The rest of the payments relating to the £8.5m package, are expected to be made by the end of December.

The payments are being made to all 9,300 individuals who are eligible under the Hill Farm Allowance Scheme for 2007 and is equivalent to 32% of their individual HFA 2007 payment.


END

Notes to Editors

1. The Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Hilary Benn announced a £12.5 million package of support for farmers in England affected by the movement restrictions put in place to control Foot-and-Mouth Disease (FMD). The package includes £8.5m in the form of a one off payment for hill farmers which RPA will be making through the Hill Farm Allowance (HFA) 2007 payment system. This payment will not affect the 2008 HFA payments or budget. The following DEFRA link will explain some of the background and guidance to the aid scheme.
www.defra.gov.uk/footandmouth/movements/hillfarmers.htm

2. RPA is an Executive Agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), providing a range of key services in support of the department’s objectives, including making rural payments, carrying out rural inspections, and livestock tracing.
3. The HFA is administered by RPA on behalf of Defra as part of the Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE). Details about the HFA can be found at www.defra.gov.uk/erdp/schemes/hfa/default.htm
4. Media only contact: RPA Media Relations Manager Ciaran Baker on 0118 968 7680. Customers can contact: RPA Customer Service Centre on 0845 603 7777.