JUST over half the farmers eligible for the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme have now been paid, the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) announced on Monday.

It said just under £425m had been put into the bank accounts of 44,400 farmers, almost 51 per cent of all claimants.

Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss said the RPA had met its commitment to pay the majority of eligible claims in December and remained on track to pay the vast majority of claims by the end of January.

She said the RPA would continue to work flat out to pay the remaining claims as quickly as possible. However, she said more complex claims will take longer to process and are likely to take longer to pay, as they did under the Single Payment Scheme.

The RPA will provide claimants who are unlikely to be paid by the end of January with an estimate as to when they will be paid to help them manage their cash flow.

o The Forestry Commission (FC) has paid more than a third of capital payments – totalling £8m – to woodland owners to protect, improve and expand woodlands in England. It has also paid 32 per cent of valid annual claims worth just under £3m, and will pay the remainder as soon as possible.

The 2016 version of "The guide to cross compliance in England" is now available on GOV.UK. It applies from January 1.