New Forest Consultation

RPA will hold 2 live online public meetings (webinars) on the following dates:

• Thursday 17 December 2020 from 18:30 to 20:30
• Tuesday 12 January 2021 from 15:00 to 17:00

RPA representatives will go through the consultation and there will be opportunity to ask questions and comment on the proposed options.

Register for one of these online public meetings (webinars).

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) invites farmers and stakeholders to consider alternative ways to allocate the eligible area of the New Forest to support BPS claims for payment.

The existing method uses the number of marking fees paid in one year, which is then used to calculate the eligible area of the New Forest in the following year.

This method has recently been challenged as having the effect of encouraging commoners to keep more animals in order to be paid more subsidies, and therefore impacting the environment.

We are seeking views on 3 options together with any other possible options, and aim to make changes to the BPS scheme from 2021 onwards.

What you need to do

You’re invited to take part in the consultation if you:

• have an interest in the ownership or management of the New Forest
• have a property or holding to which New Forest grazing rights are attached
• already claim BPS using New Forest grazing rights or have an interest in doing so in the future
• represent the interests of individuals falling into one of the categories above

Details of how to respond to the consultation are in the letter or at paragraph 20 of the consultation document.

The outcome of the consultation is expected at the end of March 2021.