An overview of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) of direct payments to farmers.

Note: Agriculture is a devolved matter.

In England the information in this Practice note is correct for BPS until 15 May 2023, which was the final application date for Basic Payment Scheme entitlements. The Basic Payment Scheme ended in England and is replaced by delinked payments from 1 January 2024, which reduce and are phased out at the end of 2027.The ability to claim the delinked payments is based on having claimed, and been eligible for, BPS payments in the 2023 scheme year, and having a ‘reference amount’. If a seller meets these criteria, they will be eligible for the delinked payments, and this does not change even if they sell their land. Farmers can receive funding via a new system of environmental land management. For more information on delinking, see Practice note, Delinked payments.

In Wales: The Welsh Ministers have discretion to determine what happens in Wales. When the UK left the EU on 31 January 2020, the Agriculture Act 2020 (see, Agriculture Act 2020) included powers for the Welsh Ministers to continue to use Glastir until 2025, for more information on the Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023 (AWA 2023), see Practice note, Agriculture (Wales) Act 2023.

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