Guidance

The guide to cross compliance in England 2017
(PDF, 2.65MB, 83 pages)

Appendix_GAEC 3 Groundwater
(PDF, 57.6KB, 1 page)

Appendix_SMR 13_Animal welfare
(PDF, 269KB, 8 pages)

What’s new in 2017

As explained in the ‘What’s new in 2017’ section of the guide, there’s only one change to the cross compliance rules for 2017. This change is to GAEC 1: Establishment of buffer strips along watercourses.

You’ll also find ‘Key dates in 2017’ on page 5 in the guide. This reminds you what you should and shouldn’t do to meet the rules throughout the year.

RPA has also created a video about what to expect during an inspection which is now under Cross compliance 2018.

Inspections and calculating penalties

For detailed information about inspections and penalties, read page 12 of ‘The guide to cross compliance in England 2017’ above.

If you’re inspected and the inspector finds something wrong, they use a set of standards called ‘verifiable standards’ to assess how serious the non-compliance is. This is based on the extent of the non-compliance and how severe and permanent it is.

RPA uses a guide to work out the penalty that is to be applied.

They also use a calculator to work out how severe a non-compliance is for cattle identification and registration for SMR 7.

Get a copy of these documents from ruralpayments@defra.gsi.gov.uk. Tell them which documents you want and use ‘Verifiable Standards 2017’ as the email heading.

These are the results from
cross compliance inspections in 2017
(PDF, 568KB, 22 pages)

– they show the reasons why farmers failed to meet each Statutory Management Requirement (SMR) and Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAEC).

The Greening Government Commitments set out the actions UK government departments and their agencies will take to reduce their impacts on the environment in the period 2016 to 2020.

They set out targets for UK government departments and their agencies to:

• reduce their greenhouse gas emissions
• send less waste to landfill and reduce the overall amount of waste they produce
• reduce water consumption

They also set out commitments for departments to

• improve sustainable procurement
• report transparently on key sustainability issues

They supersede the Greening Government Commitments for 2011 to 2015.

We have also published an overview of the reporting requirements for central government departments and their agencies.

We publish annual reports on performance against the Greening Government Commitments.

Midata is a method of electronically transferring customers’ data (with their consent), from a company system to a third party or price comparison website (PCW) using an Application Programming Interface (API). For an energy consumer, this means that they can use an application (app) or website developed by a PCW to compare energy tariffs using the actual usage/account details held by their current supplier. Midata makes comparing tariffs quicker and easier and enables more accurate comparisons. Midata also allows energy suppliers to develop customer acquisition tools, including apps, so customers can switch to a supplier without a PCW or Third Party Intermediary (TPI).

The government took powers in the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 that would allow it to mandate third party electronic access to customers’ data in regulated sectors, including energy.

The government has developed a draft technical specification with the energy sector. There are, however, a number of practical implementation issues to consider in taking this forward. These include:

• how to derive maximise benefit for consumers
• how to ensure the quality of customer data suppliers provide
• who can access the data
• what safeguards should be in place to protect customers’ data from misuse

Responses to this call for evidence will be used to inform draft regulations.

The Environment Agency and Natural Resources Wales are asking for your views on their environmental assessment of Hitachi-GE Nuclear Energy Ltd’s UK Advanced Boiling Water Reactor (UK ABWR) nuclear power station design.

All the consultation documents are here on GOV.UK but we encourage you to respond on the e-consultation tool.

Read the assessment reports with the consultation documents.

If you need a different document format, email gda@environment-agency.gov.uk.

New applicants should see the main Countryside Stewardship (CS) page for current guidance.

Payments

Natural England splits payments for multi-year grants. You’ll get:

• 75% of your annual grant as an advance payment
• the remaining 25% as a final payment – subject to any penalties or reductions

2017 payments

Natural England is continuing to make CS payments for the 2017 agreement year. The majority of agreement holders have received at least 75% of their annual payment.

Digital maps

Changes the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) makes to digital maps may affect your agreement. When RPA make a change, you’ll receive a notification in the Rural Payments service. Check your digital map and land parcel information is correct.

Revenue claims

The deadline for Natural England to receive late revenue claims and amendments was 10 July 2018. Natural England will not accept any further revenue claims in 2018.

Forms

Find the form you need in the CS forms collection.

Contact

Contact Natural England if you have any queries about CS (including woodland options and grants):