The Scottish Agricultural Arbiters and Valuers Association (SAAVA) is urging members and their farmer clients to ensure that rough grazing, permanent grass and temporary grass are each correctly classified and entered on to IACS forms in to avoid significant problems when the new CAP is introduced next year.
SAAVA President James Dick fears that using the wrong classification could cost farmers around £60 per acre in future years.
With just over a month to go before IACS deadline, Mr Dick claims the problem is also exacerbated by unclear guidance from SGRPID (Scottish Government Rural Payments and Inspections Directorate) regarding the "splitting" of areas that contain more than one grass classification.
Mr Dick explained: "In previous years it may not have seemed necessary to accurately determine whether an area should be entered as rough grazing (RGR) or permanent grass (PGRS) on IACS forms. However from next year onwards this could mean significant differences in area payment rates. A farmer with 200 acres of in-bye could stand to lose £12,000 if they classify that area as RGR as opposed to PGRS.
"For the first time in many years SGRPID has included guidance as to their definition of RGR within the 2014 IACS guidance literature. We would advise farmers and their agents to read this definition carefully. If their grass is 'better' than the SGRPID definition then it may be able to be classified as PGRS, even if it has been RGR in previous years.
"SAAVA believe that claiming that a 2014 area should be PGRS as opposed to RGR ought to be straightforward. There are potential future CAP issues over PGRS and TGRS. Getting the label wrong on 2014 IACS may lead to complications down the line when greening rules come into play."
SAAVA would urgently like to see clearer guidance from SGRPID on how a single enclosure of grazing, for example a hill, which contains both PGRS and RGR should be labelled. The current guidance as to whether each differing area must or should be a separate enclosure, or whether it is enough to do an arbitrary percentage split based on sward assessment over the whole single area, is not clear.
"There is just over a month to go now until IACS deadline and time is running out for SGRIPD to give clear, concise uniform guidance on this issue, that their staff across the country can pass on to farmers," Mr Dick concluded.
Market round-up
Messrs Craig Wilson Ltd sold 1123 prime hoggs in Newton Stewart yesterday to a top of £107 per head and 230.5p per kg to average 205.2p (+2p on the week).
A small show of 81 cast sheep saw ewes sell to £100 for Texels and £84 for Blackfaces.
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