Background GLB
Combined task remains a big snake pit
The Combined Statement (May Count) is an annual ritual that is not one of the favorite chores of most farmers. This year it's a few notches worse. Due to the introduction of the new CAP and the short preparation time of the RVO, the Combined Task can now be called a chaos. From conversations that Boerenbusiness conducted, it appears that farmers and advisers have the greatest difficulty in filling in everything properly and the technology of the RVO falters.
A lot has changed, so start on time with the Combined Task, was the advice of the Ministry of Agriculture at the beginning of this year. A considerable group of farmers took this call to heart and started filling in early. That has not gone without a hitch. Certainly the group that started in good spirits at the beginning of March - shortly after the opening - was certainly not rewarded for this. The Combined Problem contained quite a few loose ends and errors. They only came to light after the people who completed the survey sounded the alarm. That in itself is not a disgrace, provided that the RVO helpdesk tackles these problems correctly and adequately. And the Ministry and the RVO have what they need stabbing drop.
Wrong instructions
It was not for nothing that people completing the Combined Statement contacted us and asked questions to which the RVO did not immediately have an answer. Instead of all the alarm bells going off and the questions being passed on, the instructions for the helpdesk employees have been adjusted several times. Farmer A got one answer and Farmer B – who called a week later – got another answer.
Think, for example, of the buffer strips along crops that were sown last autumn. At first the story went around that these might have to be driven out. That rumor was quickly debunked by the minister, who said that no crops that had already been sown or planted had to be destroyed before there was clarity about the buffer strips. No fertilizer or plant protection products were allowed to be applied to these strips. The ministry did not immediately realize that these edges could become a hotbed for fungi. And so it happened that some time later the rules were adjusted again and that spraying on the buffer strips is allowed again, but only against fungi.
Tangle
Another example is the buffer strip with herbs as an eco-activity. These strips had to be visibly covered for at least 1% from 1 April to 25 October. A cold and wet spring made this impossible. It is therefore not illogical that the effective date was moved to June 1. It's just a pity that this change was not implemented until mid-April. The list of winter crops also fits in this list. This was not until April 19 published. Quite late you would say. That is apart from the discussion that potatoes are not included and beets only if they are harvested after 1 November.
Boundaries, buffer strips and landscape elements continue to cause confusion. It seems that the RVO has done little with the BGT check (Basic Registration Large-scale Topography) that had to be done last year. Boundaries are not always correct and in practice it can happen, for example, that there is a gap between the landscape element (ditch) up to the beginning of the buffer strip. This is partly due to the fact that previously only the cultivated area could be entered in the Combined Statement. And then you may declare a water board ditch as non-product arable land (which is also eligible for a subsidy in the new CAP) at one water board, while that is not allowed at the other water board. The difference between non-productive arable land (e.g. ditches) and arable land that you leave unproductive (e.g. fallow) is another pitfall that can cause a lot of confusion.
Staggering technique
The planned maintenance on the RVO site, outside office hours and preferably in the weekend, cannot count on everyone's understanding either. 'It's all very much from the civil servant's point of view', some say. The fact that a farmer prefers to spend a rainy Saturday or Sunday behind the computer instead of 9 to 5 on weekdays does not fit the RVO's thinking. There is also something to be said about the system itself. Especially the program for signing up the plots is not 'you like it'.
You regularly hear complaints from farmers and advisers that it is very slow. And then we haven't even mentioned the occasional very poor telephone accessibility of the RVO. The registration itself has not become any easier with the landscape elements and buffer strips around a plot. Even farmers with large and fairly square plots – and a limited number of crops – complain about the huge list of plots that comes out.
Payment time delayed?
Due to the various problems with completing the Combined Declaration, the ministry has moved the date for submission by one month to 15 June. That is not yet the final assignment. Before 15 June, you must indicate which schemes (basic premium, eco-scheme, extra payment for young farmers and conservation of rare varieties) you wish to qualify for. In the period from 15 June to 15 October you can report changes to this. Please note: it is only possible to delete and no new eco-activities can be added. The final application must be made between 15 October and 30 November.
From the agricultural sector itself, farmers are mainly concerned about what all this means for the timing of payment of the premiums. The bulk of the subsidies was always transferred in December and in the past three years an advance on the CAP funds could even be requested. With the postponement of the first submission date for the Combined Statement, there is a fear that payment will also be delayed.
Jurphaas Lugtenburg
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