Bringing BPS payments forward

We're bringing BPS payments forward. Farmers with eligible applications will receive half of their payment from the end of July, and the rest from December.
Alastair Walton is a policy adviser in the Direct Payments Team within the Future Farming and Countryside Programme.
Part of Alastair’s work includes designing a lump sum exit scheme for farmers.
We're bringing BPS payments forward. Farmers with eligible applications will receive half of their payment from the end of July, and the rest from December.
It can be difficult for farmers who wish to retire or leave the industry to do so. A lack of capital can prevent them. We think that our Lump Sum Exit Scheme could help them. Last year, we ran a consultation with farmers and other experts, and the findings supported this view. In this post, I'll share a summary and our response. I'll also cover delinked payments and an opportunity for you to help shape our work.
We want to offer farmers in England the option to leave the sector with a lump sum payment. We also plan to delink Direct Payments from the land. Today we launch a consultation on our proposals. In this post, I’ll give an overview.
This blog is managed by Defra’s Farming and Countryside Programme.
On this blog, we explain the reforms to agricultural policy in England.
We share what we’re working on, what we’re learning and how you can get involved.
GOV.UK is the place to find official guidance and information.
Funding for farmers, growers and land managers sets out every payment on offer with links to learn more.
It features payments for:
Equipment, technology and infrastructure
Improving animal health and welfare
Supporting parks, AONBs and Broads
Managing habitats, woodlands, flood risk and water pollution.
Restoring landscapes and ecosystems at scale
These leaflets set out the offer for:
Arable and horticulture farmers
Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) in England will be replaced with delinked payments in 2024.
Basic Payment recipients in England can get free business advice from independent providers.