The Accidental Smallholder Forum

Community => Introduce yourself => Topic started by: Moco on September 03, 2009, 07:06:54 pm

Title: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: Moco on September 03, 2009, 07:06:54 pm
Hello

I'm not sure whether this is the right place, but I am looking for information on the Single Farm Payment scheme.

If there is anyone who knows anything about it, or where I can find information, I would be very grateful.

We have a smallholding and it's growing!

Many thanks

Moco
Title: Re: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: Rosemary on September 03, 2009, 07:37:24 pm
Hi and welcome. I can't help but I'm sure  others here can.
Title: Re: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: Moco on September 03, 2009, 08:18:27 pm
Thank you, Rosemary.

I'll keep checking....
Title: Re: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: little blue on September 03, 2009, 08:37:47 pm
defra website has a link to the rural payments agency (but I couldn't understand much of it!) if thats any help
Welcome to TAS
You don't have to be mad... etc 
Title: Re: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: Moco on September 03, 2009, 08:55:03 pm
Oh dear, Little Blue.  I've been there and that's why I came here!!  Too many words and not necessarily in an order I can understand.

But thanks for the suggestion.

Yup.  I am finding that running a smallholding is easier if you are slightly eccentrid....or maybe it's the running of the smallholding that causes the eccentricity??
Title: Re: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: little blue on September 03, 2009, 09:30:13 pm
Which came first.. the smallholding or the madness??
Clucking quackers!
Title: Re: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: Roxy on September 03, 2009, 11:08:12 pm
I think this was what I looked into and decided not to bother.  Too many rules and regulations.  You can only ahve so many animals per acre, you cannot feed animals in the field, not allow them to poach or churn up the ground etc. etc......  It would cost us more to adhere to all these things, than its worth.  So I did not persue it.
Title: Re: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: cameldairy on September 03, 2009, 11:13:49 pm
Wow, that's terrible. I don't understand this at all. If it's your own land, how can they (is it your Government?) tell you how to use it?
Title: Re: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: hexhammeasure on September 03, 2009, 11:36:59 pm
thats another reason why we are moving to texas....
Title: Re: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: Hilarysmum on September 04, 2009, 08:32:47 am
No single farm payment here in France, only the big farmers get the subsidies, which is why they can sell pork at 2 euros a kilo on promotion.  Sorry rant over.
Title: Re: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: Hilarysmum on September 04, 2009, 08:33:05 am
Oooops forgot, sorry  Welcome.
Title: Re: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: Pentre1230 on September 06, 2009, 09:54:18 pm
Unless you have a large acerage don't bother its more hassle than its worth!! We have several farms and its a nightmare, they will cease in the not to distant future so farmers wil have to get used to not farming on the brown envelope!! 
Title: Re: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: Hilarysmum on September 07, 2009, 06:47:11 am
Does this mean no subsidies at all for UK farmers?  If so thats putting the UK Farmer at a huge disadvantage unless it stops EU wide as well.
Title: Re: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: Hilarysmum on September 08, 2009, 08:12:06 am
Pentre when in Uk I always tried to by British.  However the majority of products labelled British were in fact from animals/fruit/veg/cereals from outside EU let alone UK.  The labelling system is a joke.  Free range just means the sows may have been, British can mean it was packed in UK.  Some of the pork and bacon products are even from Phillipines.  Before the consumer can buy british the consumer needs to demand clear labelling with exactly where each part of the product comes from.  Then maybe UK Farmers may survive.  (Sorry its one of my soapbox items).
Title: Re: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: xnbacon on September 10, 2009, 11:04:01 am
Down our way we have a farm that has been sold off in various sized plots.  Obviously different people have bought the plots for different purposes.  However the people that have bought a plot with the avowed intention of farming it (and have been doing so) are having a heck of a job getting planning permission for a barn, whereas the people buying fields for horses seem to have no problems getting permission for stables.  It seems most peculiar, some of the guff the planning department have come out with has been quite contradictory, as if they really do not want people actually using agricultural land for farming.  And yet one of their policies states they wish to reserve the countryside for activities that can only be done in the country.  I've yet to hear of an urban council that would welcome a selection of sheep, pigs and chickens in someone's back garden!!
Title: Re: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: Hilarysmum on September 10, 2009, 12:11:19 pm
Its often a case of who you know, so the farming people should employ a negotiator to work around the difficulties.  He will know how to approach the matter (and who to approach), horsey people who can afford horses and land are probably able to employ this method.
Title: Re: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: xnbacon on September 10, 2009, 02:38:30 pm
I suspect youre right.  I have to admit I did think planning depts were a bit of a trial before I got interested in this, and some of the posts here have merely served to confirm my opinion.  I think one of the 'best' comments I saw was directed at a person who wanted permission for a lake for recreational fishing.  The dept commissioned a survey from an enviromental agency who came back with the recommendation not to put fish in it!!   The thought of all those anglers fishing for days in a pond with no fish in it would have had me chortling for days if it wasn't for the fact we are supposed to be relying on these people to make educated and informed decisions!

Title: Re: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: Hilarysmum on September 10, 2009, 06:32:39 pm
You should try living here in Brittany ........  beaureaucracy gone mad
Title: Re: Hello. New and wondering if in the right place to ask about Single Farm Payment
Post by: hardy294 on October 19, 2009, 08:23:01 pm
The gudelines for applying for this has been recently extended to encompass vineyards and certain market gardening. I have owned four acres for twenty six years and did not apply at the correct time in spite of 'the extensive media coverage' [according to the RPA]. Must have forgotten to buy the Farmers Weekly!!
hardy 294