FARMING leaders have expressed “no confidence” in the senior management of the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).

After years of problems they have called for the agency blueprint to be torn up to start again.

The stinging criticism was made by the heads of the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), Country Land and Business Association (CLA), and the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA).

It followed a meeting with RPA chief Tony Cooper and Department for Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) minister Lord Davies over the Single Payment Scheme (SPS) and mapping issues.

Peter Kendall, William Worsley and Greg Bliss, of the NFU, CLA and TFA respectively, said they had been as supportive as possible to the new senior team who had tried to turn things round after the agency’s “disastrous”

start.

But it was increasingly clear that the RPA was still in trouble and unable to function effectively.

On the current re-mapping problems, they said RPA figures and statements did not reflect their members’ reports about lack of maps, incorrect data, missing fields, contradictions between inspection findings and issued maps, and amendments not shown on reissued maps or SP5 forms.

With the May 17 SPS deadline approaching, they called on the RPA and Defra to:

● Ensure farmers were not penalised for mistakes not of their own doing;
● Take into account all supporting information sent in with SP5 forms;
● Give clear guidance on the RPA approach to incorrectlydeclared field areas;
● Urgently consider deferring the SPS deadlines.

The leaders said it was inconceivable that the late delivery and poor quality of maps sent to thousands of claimants would not affect the processing of 2010 SPS claims.

They want Defra and the RPA to be ready to make part payments in December and to liaise on their implementation.

The RPA has confirmed that about 3,000 farmers have still not received last year’s payment.

The leaders said: “The RPA’s stock line – we are working to finalise these as quickly as possible – completely dismisses the financial difficulties and distress their delay is causing.

“For many farmers, SPS support is critical to cashflow and the viability of their businesses.

Partial payments must be actively considered in every case and implemented wherever possible.”

The leaders were not criticising frontline RPA staff who they said were doing their best to help “anxious and frustrated” members.

They said: “Our concerns and criticisms are entirely reserved for senior management of the RPA and those in Defra responsible for its performance.”