This section contains important additional information about LFASS including changes that will apply from 2011. The LFASS 2010 - 2013 Explanatory Notes; and Annex 1 of the IACS (1) 2011, contain the main scheme rules and minor changes. You can see our LFASS guidance at:
www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/farmingrural/SRDP/LFASS.
Intentional breaches of scheme rules
Under-activity penalties are explained in detail in Annex D of the LFASS 2010 - 2013 Explanatory Notes. In order to comply with EC Regulation 65/2011, if from 2011 we find that the under-activity in question was intentional, you will lose entitlement to any LFASS payment, both for the year in question and for the following calendar year. Situations that might be deemed intentional could include, for example, a field, or field share, some distance from the main farm, which is not being actively farmed by you. This could apply to so-called naked acres, or unused common grazings but could apply to either permanently or seasonally held land where evidence of non-activity, or exceptionally low activity, on your part is clear.
LFASS 2011 changes
The European Commission (EC) has approved scheme changes which will apply from 2011. These include:
- increased payment rates in the Standard Areas;
- new minimum stocking density thresholds for each grazing category (see below);
- grazing categories, frozen for the 2007 - 2010 schemes as at 31 December 2006, can be allocated to further, uncategorised, LFA land parcels.
Payment rates from 2011
Land Category | "Standard" areas with lower transport costs | "Fragile" mainland areas of disadvantage and higher transport costs | "Very fragile" island areas |
| Payment per Adjusted Hectare (£) | Payment per Adjusted Hectare (£) | Payment per Adjusted Hectare (£) |
More Disadvantaged Land (categories A and B) | 52.16 | 62.10 | 71.35 |
Less Disadvantaged Land (categories C and D) | 34.12 | 54.51 | 63.00 |
Minimum stocking density changes
Your historic stocking density is based on 2009, or the first year of application, as appropriate. If this falls below the minimum stocking density limit we will, as before, restrict the eligible hectares you claim each year by:
- dividing the eligible hectares from the SAF by the minimum stocking density; and
- multiplying the result by the historic stocking density value.
From 2011, we will replace the single minimum stocking density threshold of 0.12 with 4 separate levels, one for each of the 4 grazing categories:
Grazing Category | Minimum stocking density | Minimum stocking density |
| Scheme 2010 payment: | Scheme 2011 payment, Scheme 2012 payment, Scheme 2013 payment |
A | 0.12 Livestock Units/ha | 0.09 Livestock Units/ha |
B | 0.12 Livestock Units/ha | 0.15 Livestock units/ha |
C | 0.12 Livestock Units/ha | 0.30 Livestock Units/ha |
D | 0.12 Livestock Units/ha | 0.45 Livestock units/ha |
(The maximum stocking density threshold will remain at 1.4).
If all your land, within a given year, has a single grazing category we will calculate your restricted hectares for the year in question as in the following example:
This farmer has a 400 ha grazing category 'A' farm with a historic stocking density of 0.05:
Minimum stocking density restriction: 400ha x 0.05 / 0.09 = 222.22 ha
If you have land in more than one grazing category within a given year, you will be allocated a composite minimum stocking density threshold for the year in question. We will base the composite minimum threshold on the appropriate stocking density threshold values, according to the proportion of actively farmed eligible land you have within each grazing category. For example, based on the values in the table above, a farmer has claimed 50 ha of grazing category A land; and 50 ha of grazing category C land. His composite minimum stocking density threshold will be:
(0.09 x 50%) + (0.30 x 50%) = 0.045 + 0.15 = 0.195, rounded to 0.20
This farmer has a historic stocking density of 0.13 and we will calculate his restricted hectares as follows:
Minimum stocking density restriction: 100 ha x 0.13 / 0.20 = 65 ha
To calculate payment, the restricted hectares are adjusted for grazing category and any enterprise mix uplift, before being multiplied by the appropriate payment rates. Payment examples are included in the LFASS 2010 - 2013 Explanatory Notes.
Grazing categories
To be eligible under the 2007 - 2010 LFASS, land must have had grazing category allocated to it prior to 1 January 2007. (LFASS eligible land is explained in Annex 1 of the 2011 IACS (1) Booklet.) From 2011, those who meet the scheme conditions and who have previously un-categorised LFA land, can have grazing category attributed to that land.
As before, we aim to allocate grazing category at land parcel level and grazing category values will remain fixed for the period of the 2011 - 2013 schemes. Grazing category will be allocated from 2011 to LFA land parcels declared in the SAF, not allocated grazing category prior to 2007, based on the LFASS 2010 - 2013 historic stocking density (i.e., based on 2009 or the first year of application, as appropriate).
Where a farmer has a mix of land parcels, with and without grazing category, those fields with grazing category, will retain the grazing category value allocated to them prior to 1 January 2007. Previously categorised land parcels cannot have new values allocated.
When completing your IACS(3) and IACS(4) data sheets, make sure you consider including all your eligible LFA forage land parcels which you actively farm in your LFASS claim, including those not previously allocated grazing category.