Our Agriculture Team has been involved in a number of cases and claims in this area. Highlights include:
- Drafting bespoke Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) clauses for sale and purchase contracts
- Advice relating to the interaction between the BPS and historic contract and tenancy clauses
- Preparing tenancy clauses in relation to BPS and stewardship schemes
- Division of Entitlements in relation to partnership disputes
- Numerous appeals against the Rural Payments Agency, Natural England and DEFRA
- Judicial review of Ministers’ decisions overturning Appeal Panels’ decisions
- Complaints to the Ombudsman in respect of maladministration (excessive delay and imposition of penalties) by the RPA (under the Single Payment Scheme, BPS)
- Advising a farmer facing fraud charges under the Single Payment Scheme; the RPA subsequently dropped the case