I’m fed up with talking about the weather, but I can console myself with the fact we have grabbed every opportunity so far and progress is not too bad.Exchange rate to boost SPS payments by 15pc
DEFRA has confirmed the exchange rate for the 2009 Single Payment Scheme (SPS), giving farmers the opportunity to boost their payments by 15 per cent.
The rate is set at €1= £0.9093 and Farming Minister Jim Fitzpatrick said the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) will expect to pay out at least £1 billion by the end of December.
He said: “This exchange rate will increase the sterling value of SPS payments by around 15 per cent compared with last year – a welcome short-term boost for many farmers.
“The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) chief executive expects to at least match RPA’s performance under the 2008 scheme when nearly £1 billion was paid out by the end of December.
“The 2009 payments will begin to be made in December. We have decided not to take up the option of making earlier partial payments to allow the Rural Payments Agency to focus on making full payments as early as possible.”
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