STAFFING cuts are being blamed for the length of time it took to pay Welsh farmers their direct subsidies this year.

Aberconwy AM Janet Finch-Saunders says staffing levels at Rural Payments Wales (RPW) – the body which processes Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) claims – have been cut by 26% since 2007.

Following a Freedom of Information (FOI) request she discovered that the number of Full Time Equivalent (FTE) staff at RPW had fallen by 127.1 in the last nine years.

But the Welsh Government insists RPW had delivered a “GB leading performance” with 2016 payments of EU subsidies.

A spokeswoman said 99% of farmers in Wales had received their payments on time. Although the current BPS payment window opened on December 1 2015, the Welsh Government was not obliged to complete payments until June 30 2016.

But some Welsh farms which also have land in England are still waiting for their payments because RPW it is still awaiting “usable data’’ from the Rural Payments Agency in London.

Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) Cymru called on the agencies to co-operate to ensure that the remaining 2015 cross border BPS claims are paid.

TFA Cymru Chairman Dennis Matheson said the businesses affected would normally have expected to have received payment in December or January. “These delays are having a crippling impact on cash flow,’’ he suggested.

The complexity of individual claims and those involving young farmer entitlements are also being blamed for the delays.

Mr Matheson welcomed the dialogue TFA Cymru had had with RPW Dealing with cross border issues is always going to be difficult when two different computer systems have to find a way of talking to each other. It is important that there is some early thinking about how these problems can be resolved in advance of beginning to make payments against 2016 BPS claims. I do not want cross-border farmers to be left in the same position this time next year,” said Mr Matheson.

“Now that we are in the period for negotiating our way out of the European Union and developing our own schemes and policies for agriculture, food and the environment it will be important to address cross border issues from the beginning. Although England and Wales will be coming forward with their own schemes and policies for farms which straddle the Welsh border appropriate administrative arrangements must be put in place to ensure the smooth operation of any new schemes.’’