Protein Crop Premium is a separate scheme from the Single Payment Scheme.
You must apply for the premium by filling in columns C8 and C11 on the 2010 application form, but you do not have to be applying under the Single Payment Scheme to qualify for the premium. The land use code to use when claiming under the Protein Crop Premium Scheme is PR0.
Eligibility
You can use any land to apply for the premium but you must sow all crops in line with local standards. This means that the land must be prepared and the seed sown in a way and at a seed rate that should produce a normal marketable crop. You should note that the area of a land parcel on which you can apply for any premium may be different from the area you can use to support your Single Payment Scheme application.
Crops cannot be harvested until they reach lactic ripeness. In the United Kingdom proteins can be harvested at a maximum moisture content of 30% (that is, harvested dry) to meet this requirement.
Where protein crops are sown in a mixture with cereals, you must be able to prove that the protein crops are the main crop in the mixture to receive the premium. As proof of the mix you should keep labels, seed invoices and sowing records. If we make an inspection visit, we may ask to see this proof as well as making a physical assessment of the crop.
Protein crops are defined as:
- Peas within CN code 0713.10;
- Field beans within CN code 0713.10; and
- Sweet lupins within CN code ex 1209 29 50.
How do I measure my protein crop area?
Please note that the rules for calculating the claimable area for the Protein Crop Premium are different from those for the Single Payment Scheme. If you are claiming the Protein Crop Premium.
For the total Single Payment Scheme field area to be used to support your application for the Protein Crop Premium, the field must be fully cropped. For your field boundaries this means that:
- Where you are able to claim the Single Payment without making any deduction from total field size for boundary features, any un-cropped area around the margin of the field must not exceed 3m from the field boundary (measured from the centre point of the boundary where the boundary is a hedge or a ditch). If the un-cropped margin does extend further than 3 metres into the field, you should calculate the area on which the Protein Crop Premium can be claimed from the edge of the actual cropped area within the field.
- Where you are making a deduction from total field size because of SPS ineligible features on your field boundary (that is, you a have an SPS permanent or temporary ineligible feature running along the boundary) you should measure the area on which Protein Crop Premium can be claimed from the edge of the actual cropped area in the field. Any areas of bare soil, grass banks and grass strips situated within the field must be deducted from the area on which Protein Crop Premium is claimed, unless they fall within the permitted field margin or form part of good agricultural practice, such as machinery tramlines. This may mean therefore that, for a parcel used to support applications under both SPS and Protein Crop Premium, the area eligible for each scheme may be different.
How do I take account of footpaths, tracks and bridleways?
If you want to claim Protein Crop Premium, use the following rules for any footpaths, tracks and bridleways:
- if you have any visible tracks and bridleways that are not public rights of way, measure them and remove these from your application;
- if you have public rights of way running across a field, remove the following from the area of your field:
- for footpaths, one metre multiplied by the length of the path; or
- for tracks and bridleways, two metres multiplied by the length of the track or bridleway;
- if you have public rights of way that run alongside a field boundary, remove the following from the area of your field:
- for footpaths, 1.5 metres multiplied by the length of the path; or
- for tracks and bridleways, three metres multiplied by the length of the track or bridleway.
How will I be paid for Protein Crop Premium?
The premium will be paid at €55.57 per hectare.
There is a European Union Maximum Guaranteed Area of 1.648 million hectares. If this is exceeded we will reduce payments.
Contacts
If you need to contact us about PCPS please call 0845 603 7777. Or, if your enquiry is not urgent, please e-mail us at customer.service.centre@rpa.gsi.gov.uk
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