Rural Payments Agency
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| Executive agency overview | |
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| Formed | 2001 |
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| Website | rpa |
The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is an executive agency of the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The RPA delivers the European Union (EU) Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments to farmers and traders in England, paying out over £2 billion in subsides each year. The Agency managing more than 40 schemes, the largest of which the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) paying more than £1.5 billion to around 105,000 claimants a year.
Along with paying subsides the Agency have a number of other roles including managing the British Cattle Movement Service and the Rural Land Register which holds around 2.4 million registered land parcels digitally, and sends land maps to landowners in England.
The Agency is the EU's single paying agency for market support measures across the United Kingdom under Defra authority and as agreed with Scottish, Welsh and Northern Ireland's Ministers.
RPA works closely with Natural England and the Forestry Commission which are responsible for authorising payments under the Rural Development Programme for England for schemes including Environmental Stewardship and the English Woodland Grant Scheme.
Part of the role of the agency is to issue holding numbers and vendor numbers to landowners in England who wish to take advantage of the various schemes Defra offers.
The RPA publishes an annual business plan which sets out its targets and commitments to its customers, Defra and the taxpayer.
The agency is working closely with Defra towards implementation of the CAP payment schemes.
The RPA was created on 16 October 2001 from the amalgamation of the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce and the Defra Paying Agency as a single paying agency for most Common Agricultural Policy schemes in England and certain schemes throughout the whole of the UK. Most notably the agency is responsible for administering and distributing the Single Payment Scheme to farmers in England. It also enforces the European Union's regulations on the class, quality, size and shape of vegetables and fruit sold, by warning and advising businesses, and occasionally prosecuting under section 14 of the Agriculture and Horticulture Act 1964.
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