Basic Payment Scheme: guidance

41. Force majeure / exceptional circumstances

There may be situations where you might be able to avoid the penalty element of any reduction or recovery of payment. This would only happen if your circumstances fell into the force majeure / exceptional circumstances scenario.

Examples of force majeure / exceptional circumstances include:

• the death of the farmer
• the long-term professional incapacity of the farmer
• a severe natural disaster gravely affecting the holdings agricultural land
• the accidental destruction of livestock buildings on the holding
• an epizootic affecting part of or all of the farmer's livestock (for example, Foot and Mouth Disease).

You should bear in mind that these are only examples and they are not, by themselves, sufficient to qualify as force majeure / exceptional circumstances.

Normal commercial risks cannot be considered as force majeure / exceptional circumstances.

If you are not able to fulfil the requirements of the Basic Payment Scheme because of force majeure / exceptional circumstances, you must write to your local RPID area office attaching relevant evidence within 10 working days of your knowledge of the incident.