Horticulture: Schemes for growers
Among the schemes administered by Defra and the other UK Agriculture Departments are:
Single Payment Scheme
Growers of potatoes and most horticultural crops are eligible for a direct payment, provided that they meet the terms and conditions of the new scheme. Further details for growers are available on the Defra website or by contacting the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).
Producer Organisation (Fresh Fruit and Vegetables) Aid Scheme
The regime for fruit and vegetables as set out in the Single CMO has the aim of increasing market orientation among EU growers and to increase growers' competitiveness in the supply chain, particularly in response to the continuing rationalisation in the retail sector.
In order to achieve this, the Regime provides financial support for Producer Organisations (POs). POs are legal organisations whose members must have the general aim of promoting the use of environmentally sound cultivation and waste practices. They must also have one or more of the following aims:
- ensuring that the organisation's production is planned and adjusted to demand;
- promoting concentration of supply and the placing of its members produce on the market; and
- optimising production costs and stabilising producer prices.
Once recognised, POs are able to submit Operational Programmes (OPs) aimed at encouraging the use of environmentally friendly techniques and improving the quality, marketing and end value of produce. These programmes attract EU funding. They can contain many elements but must include two or more of the following objectives:
- Planning of production
- Improvement in terms of product quality
- Boosting the commercial value of products
- Promotion of the PO’s production
- Environmental measures and methods of production respecting the environment, including organic farming
- Crisis prevention and management
The scheme is operated by the Rural Payments Agency. Details of the scheme rules are available from the RPA's Fruit and Vegetables Section on 0191 226 5491.
National Strategy for Sustainable Operational Programmes
Following a major reform of the Regime in the 2007 the PO scheme now forms the central pillar of the Regime. However, to ensure that aid for POs is used most effectively in ways which support the sustainable long term development of the fruit and vegetables industry, a requirement was set out in the Regime for Member States to establish a National Strategy for Sustainable Operational Programmes.
The Strategy help guide the POs as to what they should be including in their programmes by providing a detailed non-exhaustive list of potential measures and actions. It also includes elements for the monitoring and evaluation of operational programmes. The duration of the UK’s National Strategy will be six years, running until the end of 2013.
- Download the National Strategy (PDF 718KB)
National Framework for Environmental Actions
A key component of the National Strategy is the National Framework for Environmental Actions which, as the name suggests, is designed to provide guidance to POs in relation to the type environmental actions that can be included in programmes.
In order to reinforce the environmental credentials of the PO scheme, all operational programmes are required to include two or more environmental measures or alternatively have at least 10 per cent expenditure under the programme covering such environmental actions.
To assist POs in meeting this requirement there was a further obligation on Member States to draw up a framework. This provides information on general scheme conditions relating to such actions; identifies key environmental priorities for the UK; and also provides a detailed list of measures and actions which POs can include in their programmes.
- National Framework for Environmental Actions (PDF 152 KB)
Page last modified:
6 March 2009
Page published: 14 March 2005