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RPA suffers IT issues on CS 2024 deadline day

Philip Case 15 September 2023
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© Tim Scrivener© Tim Scrivener

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has been battling IT computer glitches on deadline day for the 2024 Countryside Stewardship scheme, sparking huge frustration and anxiety for farmers trying to submit their applications.

Defra issued a press release at 11am on Friday 15 September, explaining that farmers in England who were submitting their 2024 CS Mid-Tier applications on deadline day would be given additional time to complete their applications, provided they had been started.

The release did not explain why Defra was suddenly offering another extension to the deadline – after it had already extended the application window by one month to midnight on 15 September 2023 due to IT computer issues.

See also: RPA extends Mid-Tier CS application deadline to 15 September

It appeared to suggest that busy farmers were struggling to submit their applications ahead of the deadline and, in recognition of this, they would be granted further time.

But ahead of the publication of Defra’s release, Farmers Weekly had been hearing from agents and farmers expressing huge frustration and anxiety that they were unable to submit their CS 2024 applications on deadline day.

One agent said: “On Countryside Stewardship 2024 deadline day, the IT system is still in a mess and lots of applications can’t be submitted.

“The RPA staff are telling people not to worry as there is an error in the system and they will work with farmers/advisers.

“It seems like the IT problems have not been fixed despite the extra month. This is really adding to anxiety and stress levels and testing everyone’s patience.”

Farmers Weekly contacted Defra to ask for an explanation on what was going on.

A spokesperson said the issue had now been resolved and CS applications should be being accepted as usual. The spokesperson referred Farmers Weekly to a post published by the RPA on X (formerly Twitter).

It said: “We were made aware of a system issue this morning which was resulting in the message ‘There is a problem an error has occurred please try again later.’

“We are very sorry this happened. We have now resolved the issue and customers should retry and be able [sic] access their applications successfully.”

Jo Franklin, a mixed arable and beef farmer based in Hertfordshire, is one of many farmers caught up in the IT debacle.

She said: “I have been trying to submit my CS Mid-Tier application since 8.30am (Friday). All I had left to do was log on and submit it.

“I knew there was something wrong with the system as it was just sending my application back round again. When I did finally get in, it just said there is a problem, an error has occurred.

“It is 12.15pm now and there is still an error. I am wondering how long I am going to have to sit here for. We have got lambs to weigh and lorries to load and I have to pick up the children up from school. It is very, very frustrating.”

‘Little faith’

The bad experience gave her little faith that the delayed controlled rollout of Defra’s 2023 Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme, starting next Monday (18 September) would go smoothly.

“Defra has invited only a handful of farmers to launch the SFI, whereas most who applied, like me, have been told they will get back to us in a month, which doesn’t instil confidence,” said Ms Franklin.

“When the RPA comes and inspects your farm, if you have the slightest thing wrong, they come down on you like a ton of bricks.

“But if they have a shoddy service like this, it’s all fine.”

New Mid-Tier agreements are set to start in 2024 and last for five years, with multi-year management grants and capital grants.

RPA comment

The RPA stressed it was an isolated incident of data working incorrectly in the system and says it was quickly resolved.

An RPA spokesperson said: “We were made aware of an isolated system issue for customers accessing and submitting their Countryside Stewardship applications this morning. This has been resolved and applications are being successfully submitted.”

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