In one of the strongest condemnations ever issued against a Government body, the Rural Payments Agency has been attacked once again – but this time by all three major farming bodies.

The RPA has been under fire since it was set up by the first Defra Secretary, Margaret Beckett, when it was two and sometimes three years late in paying English farmers under a new single farm payment scheme that was supposed to reform the equally notorious EU Common Agricultural Policy.

There were no problems In Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales, where payments were organised by their devolved assemblies, and Mrs Beckett was accused of “meddling.”

The first chief executive was sacked (with a hefty pay-off) but a Parliamentary sub-committee later attacked the organisation as being a prime example of bureaucratic incompetence.

Now, the RPA is under attack again in a united assault from the NFU, the CLA and the Tenant Farmers Association because of alleged mistakes in the mapping of farmers’ land holdings, which directly affect any subsidies due under the single payment scheme (SPS).

In a joint statement, the three organisations declared: “In the wake of the disastrous introduction of the SPS in England and the sacking of the RPA’s Johnston McNeill, the NFU, CLA and TFA have sought to be as supportive as possible as the RPA and its new senior management team tried to turn things round and reach ‘steady state’ on maps, entitlements and payments.

“However, over the last year it has become increasingly clear that the RPA is in deep trouble and unable to function effectively.

“The Efra (Parliamentary) Committee’s report on the 2005 SPS fiasco criticised the RPA and Defra for their tendency to put the most optimistic spin on their internal progress figures. As the Efra Committee said, ‘This unwillingness to be completely frank with those most interested would have serious consequences in the long term for customer relations, already tense because of the difficulties there had been with the claims process.’

“Five years on and we are here again.

“The figures published and statements made by the RPA simply do not reflect the reports that are coming in from our members about lack of maps, incorrect data, missing fields, contradictions between inspection findings and issued maps, amendments notified correctly not showing up on re-issued maps or SP5 forms.

“We have raised our concerns repeatedly. Our impression is that they have largely been dismissed as an over-reaction to a few minor delivery issues. We do not believe that to be the case.” The Conservative Party has promised a complete reform of the RPA should they win this week’s general election.