A review of the EU Agricultural Subsidies Appeals Procedure was contained in the Government's manifesto. The Cabinet Secretary asked for an independent review of the current process, which was held under the chairmanship of John Kinnaird, the past president of the National Farmers Union of Scotland (NFUS).
The Review panel made their recommendations to the Cabinet Secretary in November 2008. The main outcome of the review, was that the Scottish Land Court would now handle all formal appeals. The new EU Agricultural Appeals procedure came into force on 20 November 2009. The Scottish Statutory Instrument is available to view. There is still a role for RPID in the process but under the new arrangements both it and the farmer will be on an equal footing as parties of the appeal.
If you receive a decision to refuse, recover or reduce payment, and you wish to have the decision reviewed, you should first contact your local RPID office and ask for a Review Application Form. This must be submitted within 30 days of the date of your decision letter. A short Question and Answer set has been prepared to explain the process.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us here at RPID.
There are links on the menu to the left to the Review Application Form, should you wish to download and print it from here. Please remember that your completed form must be submitted to your local RPID office within 30 days of the date of your decision letter.
Further information relating to the work of the Scottish Land Court can be found by following the external link.