RPA bridging loans worth £43m paid to farmers awaiting 2019 stewardship cash

In recognition of the disruption to cash flow for rural businesses due to Covid-19, the interest-free loans covered Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship 2019 payments and are worth 75 per cent of the current estimated value of the claim.

With payments made to all eligible outstanding claimants by the end of May, RPA chief executive Paul Caldwell said: “I am pleased to announce that we have issued all bridging payments to unpaid Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship claims.

“We know this is a challenging period for farmers and we will continue to focus on completing the remaining work on these claims to ensure land managers are paid as quickly as possible.”