Transfer Entitlements FAQ 2011

Published: 21/02/2011
Updated: 05/04/2011 - New Q27 added and subsequent questions renumbered.

Transfer of Single Payment Scheme Entitlements Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

This FAQ provides information mainly relating to SPS entitlement transfers. If you need more information on land changes, land transfers and registering new land read the RLR Frequently Asked Questions.

RLE 1 for SPS entitlement transfers

1. How do I transfer SPS entitlements?
If you want to transfer entitlements, you must tell us by filling in an RLE 1. If possible, we will pre-print the details of the entitlements that you hold.

2. How do I get an RLE 1?

You can call us on 0845 603 7777. It will take about 10 days for a pre-printed RLE 1 to reach you. We can also send you a blank RLE 1.

You can get a blank RLE 1 from Drop-in-Centres between March and June. You can find a list of Drop-in-Centres on the Our Offices page. If you are an agent and need more than one blank RLE 1 please e-mail us at CSC@rpa.gsi.gov.uk or call us on 0845 603 7777.

Wherever we can we will pre-print your RLE 1 and only send you the parts relevant to your application. If you request part C, it will show the entitlements that are available to you to transfer although it may not include recent transfers. If we cannot pre-print the RLE 1 we will send you a blank one which will include all parts. You will only need to fill in the parts relevant to your application but you must send us the whole RLE 1.

3. Do I have to use an original RLE 1?
Yes, you should use an original RLE 1 wherever possible as we may reject a photocopy if we cannot read the information on it or the signature is not original, for example a photocopied signature or a signature stamp. You cannot send us your RLE 1 by fax or e-mail as we need an RLE 1 which has an original signature on it.

4. What information do I need to have when I request an RLE 1?
You will need to know your Single Business Identifier (SBI), to confirm your primary business address, the SBI and the number of other businesses you are transferring entitlements to and how many land parcels you are transferring if you are transferring entitlements with land or land only.

5. How does the entitlement transfer system work?
You must tell us if you want to transfer entitlements by filling in an RLE 1 at least six weeks before the transfer is due to take place. You may give an effective date of transfer greater than six weeks but no later than the deadline for submitting an SP5 if you want it to take effect for that scheme year. If you do not give a transfer date on your RLE 1, or give a date that is less than six weeks notice, the transfer will take effect six weeks after we receive the RLE 1 (see Q17). Retrospective transfer dates are not permitted except for inheritance transfers.

6. Where can I find out more information on transferring SPS entitlements?
More information can be found in the RLE 1 Guidance.

7. How are transfers processed?
Transfers are processed using the SBI number and not the name and address of the transferor or transferee. If you enter a wrong SBI, your transfer application may be rejected or entitlements could even be transferred to the wrong business. Please take care when filling in the RLE 1 to transfer any entitlements.

8. Who can transfer SPS entitlements?
Entitlements can be transferred by the farmer holding the entitlements to another farmer. If you are a retired farmer, you can still transfer entitlements if they have not expired. You must give us six weeks notice for entitlements transfers (see Q17).

9. Do I need to fill in separate RLE 1s for each transfer?
Yes, you need to fill in a separate RLE 1 for each different type of transfer, for example with or without land, and/or for each different transferee.

10. What geographical restrictions apply to the transfer of SPS entitlements?
UK based farmers can own or lease entitlements anywhere in the UK, but entitlements established in Northern Ireland, Scotland, Wales or in any of the three English areas can only be used to claim a payment in the region or area that they were established in.

Transfers between farmers established in different Member States (for instance France and the UK) can only take place through inheritance, but the entitlements concerned may only be used in the originating Member State.

11. What do I do if the person that I am transferring SPS entitlements to does not have a Single Business Identifier (SBI)?
The person that you are transferring entitlements to should call us on 0845 603 7777 to register with us and get an SBI. You will need their farm based SBI to fill in the RLE 1. If you send us your RLE 1 without a transferee SBI, this may delay processing of your RLE 1 and in some cases may result in rejection. You must make every effort to get the transferee SBI before you send us your RLE 1 but, particularly leading up to the deadline, (see Q15 & Q17) if the transferee is still waiting for their SBI please send us your RLE 1 and enclose a covering note or write ‘Awaiting transferee SBI’ on the front of the RLE 1 in the blank space below Main CPH at Part A: General details. Make sure that you do not write over any data that is pre-printed on the front of the RLE 1.

See also Q28 – 31 if the transfer is due to a business merger, scission or Inheritance.

12. What happens if I notice that I have made an error on my RLE 1 after I have sent it to you?
You should contact us as soon as possible. If we have not already rejected the RLE 1 or the transfer has not yet reached its effective date you can withdraw or amend it. You can do this by telephone, e-mail or letter but your request will need to reach us no later than the day before the transfer is due to take place otherwise we will not be able to accept your amendment or withdrawal. You can write to us at, Rural Payments Agency, PO Box 300, Sheffield, S95 1AA, call us on 0845 603 7777 or e-mail us at CSC@rpa.gsi.gov.uk.

13. Can I send a request to transfer SPS entitlements by letter instead of completing an RLE 1?
No, an RLE 1 will need to be filled in. When you fill in and sign the RLE 1 you are making a declaration that you understand the rules of the scheme and that the information you have supplied is accurate.

14. Who fills in the RLE 1, the transferor (owner or holder) or the transferee (receiver)?
If you are transferring entitlements, the RLE 1 must be filled in by the transferor (owner or holder of the entitlements) or their empowered (authorised) agent. See Q18 – 20 for empowerment information.

Entitlement transfer deadline

15. What is the deadline for you to receive an RLE 1 in order for the transferee to claim the SPS entitlements on their SP5 (Single Payment Scheme application)?
Normally, an RLE 1 must be received by us no later than midnight on 2 April if the farmer receiving the entitlements wants to claim on them in that scheme year by filling in an SP5. As 15 May falls on a Sunday in 2011 the 15 May SPS deadline has been moved to 16 May for 2011 only. The deadline for receipt of an RLE 1 has been moved to midnight on 3 April for 2011 only. When our offices are closed, you may be able to drop your RLE 1 into our RPA site post boxes if they have one up to midnight on the 3 April 2011. Post boxes are also available at some Drop-in-Centres which are open between March and June but please check first with your local site or Drop-in-Centre. You can find a list of our offices and Drop-in-Centres on the Our Offices page.

16. Can I still transfer SPS entitlements between 2 April and 15 May (3 April and 16 May for 2011 only) in a given scheme year?
Yes, but a transfer received by us during this period will not take place in time for the entitlements to be used in that scheme year and the transfer will be applied to the following scheme year. Entitlements can be transferred more than once in a scheme year.

17. What is meant by the six week notification period?
This is the minimum period of notice that you must give us before a transfer of entitlements can take place. The date we receive the RLE 1 is not counted. The transfer takes effect on the expiry of the six week notice period or the effective date you have stated if you have given more than six weeks notice. For example, an RLE 1 received on 3 April 2011 will have an effective date of transfer of 16 May 2011.

Empowerments – Who can receive or sign the RLE 1

18. Who can sign the RLE 1?
You must be properly empowered (authorised) with us for the business that is transferring out the entitlements. Even if you have signed forms on behalf of the business before you must check that you have the right level of empowerment set up in our Customer Register. Please call us on 0845 603 7777 to check the empowerment level for the person who will be signing the RLE 1 or to set up new empowerments. If your RLE 1 is part of a string transfer (see Q33), all RLE 1s must be signed by someone who is empowered for each separate business transferring out the entitlements. You may need to fill in a CReg 01 if your business is a partnership or limited company if you have not already done so. If you have already filled in a CReg 01, you can fill in a CReg 10 to change the empowerment details for your business or an SP9 Agent/Partnership Authorisation to empower an agent or partner to sign the RLE 1. You can fill in a CREG 01 over the telephone but you will need to have all the required information when you call. If you do not arrange empowerment for the person who signs the RLE 1, this may delay the processing of your transfer. If the proper empowerment is not in place, we will contact you to arrange for them to be put in place and give you a limited period of time to do this. If you do not respond to this request within the time stated it may result in your transfer being rejected together with any other RLE 1s signed by the same person for the same scheme year even if we have already told you that the transfer has been successful.

19. Can you send the RLE 1 to my agent and can my agent sign and send it to you?
Yes, we can send the RLE 1 to your agent provided that they are properly empowered to receive mail (View and amend SPS claims and receive all mail). If your agent is not properly empowered to receive mail, we will send the RLE 1 to your primary business address. Your agent can also sign an RLE 1 if properly empowered. If you have already filled in a CReg 01 you can also empower someone for your business by telephone by calling us on 0845 603 7777. You should do this before the date the RLE 1 is signed or this could delay processing of your RLE 1 and even lead to it being rejected.

20. Where the transferor is a partnership do all of the partners need to sign the RLE 1?
No, the RLE 1 can be filled in and signed by anyone within the partnership who has been empowered to submit forms, or who has the authority from the other partners by completing an SP9, which should be sent with the RLE 1. However, read Q28 and 29 regarding transfers due to business changes or Q30 and 31 for inheritance.

General Information on SPS Entitlement Transfers

21. How will I be told if the transfer is successful?
If the transfer request is valid, we will send both the transferor and transferee a letter to tell you that the transfer is successful. If you have not received the letter two weeks after the effective date please call us on 0845 603 7777.

22. What happens if you object to a transfer?
If we object to a transfer because it does not meet the requirements of the regulations, a new RLE 1 will need to be sent to us, which must be received by us at least six weeks before the transfer can take place. We will tell both the transferor and transferee if the RLE 1 is rejected but only the transferor will be told the reason why.

23. What will happen if, after I have received SPS entitlements by purchase, lease, gift or inheritance, you find a problem with their validity before I received them?
Farmers receiving entitlements should be aware that, if we find a problem relating to the original allocation of the entitlements or their use prior to the transfer, then, depending on the nature of the problem, we may have to recover the entitlements or reduce their value.

You may have to surrender entitlements which you have been given, bought or leased if:

a) the entitlements should not have been allocated at all and the transferring farmer has not kept enough entitlements that can be used to make up the shortfall;
or
b) a previous owner of the entitlements has not used them according to the usage rules and the entitlements have expired. For more information see paragraph 6 in the Key Changes section of the Single Payment Scheme Handbook for England 2010.

Also, we may have to reduce the value of entitlements you have bought or leased if their value was originally set too high.

In all of the above cases the farmer receiving the entitlements may also have to pay back any undue payments that they have received while they held the entitlements in question. You may want to take independent professional advice if you are considering transferring in entitlements.

24. How can I transfer SPS entitlements?
You can transfer entitlements;

by sale or gift with land;
by lease but only with at least an equal amount of SPS eligible land in the same region;
by sale or gift without land;
through inheritance or
by surrendering them to the national reserve.

You may also need to fill in an RLE 1 and IACS 26/27 forms for business changes for example mergers or scissions – read Q28 and 29 for more information.

25. Can special SPS entitlements be transferred?
Yes you can transfer special SPS entitlements but they will only keep their special status if all of the special entitlements you hold are transferred at the same time to a single purchaser. If you transfer only some of your special entitlements the ones you keep will retain their special status and the ones you transfer will change to normal entitlements.

From 2012 all special entitlements transferred will become normal entitlements, the only exception will be by inheritance when they will keep their special status.

26. How many SPS entitlements can I transfer?
You can transfer all of your entitlements if the transfer meets the scheme rules and the entitlements have not expired.

27. How do I fill in my RLE1 if I haven’t had my annual Entitlements Statement?
You should obtain the information from the latest entitlements statement you hold. If you are transferring out entitlements which you have received from another business and you have not had notification of the new Entitlements Block ID then you should contact the business from whom you obtained the entitlements, ask them for the Block ID before the transfer to you and use that Block ID.
You will be able to get the number of entitlements transferred to you, their value and use by date from the confirmation letter that we sent to you. If we cannot identify the Block ID you give on your RLE1 then we will contact you. If you try to transfer more entitlements than you hold we will also contact you unless you have ticked the ‘All’ box at C6 in which case we will transfer all the entitlements in that block. It is important that you give some information in part C and that we receive your RLE1 by 2 April (3 April for 2011 only) if you want the transfer to be effective for that scheme year.

Mergers, scissions and other business changes including inheritance

28.How do I transfer SPS entitlements in the case of business mergers or scissions (see glossary for definition of a merger or scission)?
Mergers - Where two or more businesses make a business decision to form a new business, the merging businesses will each need to fill in an RLE 1 to transfer the entitlements to the new business. When filling in each RLE 1, put an X in either the Sale/gift of entitlements with land or Sale/gift of entitlements without land box at B1. Also put an X in the Merger box at B7 and fill in B8 to confirm you have filled in and sent us a business assessment (IACS 26/27).

Scissions - If your business is splitting into two or more new businesses (business scission), a separate RLE 1 will need to be filled in for each business the entitlements are to be transferred to. When filling in each RLE 1, put an X in either the Sale/gift of entitlements with land or Sale/gift of entitlements without land box at B1. Also put an X in the Scission box at B7 and fill in B8 to confirm whether you have filled in and sent us a business assessment (IACS 26/27). The RLE 1s must be signed by all empowered people in the business.

Before merger and scission transfers can be processed we will need to assess the new business(es) and you will need to fill in the appropriate business assessment forms. The transfers will be placed on hold until the new business assessments have been completed. If we accept the business changes and the RLE 1s were submitted by 2 April (3 April for 2011 only), they will still be processed for that scheme year. If you have not been given a farm based SBI for the new business(es) then you can leave B2 of the RLE 1 blank and enclose a covering letter or write ‘Awaiting transferee SBI’ on the front of the RLE 1 in the blank space below Main CPH at Part A: General details. Make sure that you do not write over any data that is pre-printed on the front of the RLE 1.

29. I am retiring from farming and a member of my family is taking over my farming business. What do I need to do?
If the family member is not already a partner in your business and will be farming as a new business or is already farming in their own right as a separate business, you will need to transfer your entitlements to them by filling in an RLE 1. If they are a new business, they will also need to fill in a CReg 01 to register with us and may also need to fill in an IACS 26/27 business assessment if they have not already done so.

If the family member is already a partner in the business which will be continuing after your retirement, please call us on 0845 603 7777 and ask for an IACS 26/27 to be sent to them You will only need to fill in an RLE 1 to transfer the entitlements if the business assessment considers that it is a new business and therefore needs a new SBI. If you are not sure, fill in an RLE 1 and send it to us with your IACS 26/27.

Please see the current Single Payment Scheme Handbook for more information on business changes or call us on 0845 603 7777.

30. How can SPS entitlements be transferred from a sole trader who has died?
The executor or administrator of the deceased’s estate will need to fill in an RLE 1 and put an ‘X’ in the Inheritance box at B1 of the RLE 1 to transfer the entitlements to the beneficiary. A copy of the deceased’s death certificate and Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration will need to be enclosed if we have not already seen them. Where more than one executor/administrator has been appointed, they will all need to sign the RLE 1 unless one has been empowered to sign on behalf of them all. This can be done by filling in an SP9.

The six week rule does not apply to Inheritance cases and so an RLE 1 for Inheritance can be submitted for a previous scheme year and an appropriate date entered at B3b of the RLE 1.

If the beneficiary is not already registered as a farmer the RLE 1 will be placed on hold until a business assessment has been completed. If the beneficiary has not been provided with a farm based SBI for their new business, B2 of the RLE 1 should be left blank and a covering letter enclosed.

31. I have inherited SPS entitlements. How can they be transferred to me?
The executor or administrator of the deceased’s estate will need to fill in an RLE 1, and put an ‘X’ in the Inheritance box at B1 of the RLE 1 to transfer the entitlements to you. A copy of the deceased’s death certificate and Grant of Probate or Letters of Administration will need to be enclosed if we have not already seen them. Where more than one executor/administrator has been appointed, they will all need to sign the RLE 1 unless one has been empowered to sign on behalf of them all. This can be done by filling in an SP9.

If you do not have an SBI you will need to call us on 0845 603 7777 and register as a new business. The new business will need to fill in a CReg 01 and may also need to fill in an IACS 26/27 business assessment form. Existing businesses receiving entitlements by inheritance which are registered with us and have an SBI may also need to fill in an IACS 26/27 business assessment.

Surrendering SPS entitlements

32. Can I surrender my SPS entitlements?
If you want to surrender entitlements rather than transfer them to a farmer you may do so by putting an ‘X’ in the Surrender box at B1 of the RLE 1 and leaving B2 blank. The entitlements will then pass to the National Reserve on the effective transfer date.
Important - If you are ‘Surrendering’ your lease back to the landlord this is not a surrender of entitlements (see Q39).

String transfers

33. What is a string transfer?
String Transfers are transfers of the same entitlements from the first farmer through to subsequent farmers without each separate part of the string having to complete a six week notification period. For example farmer A transfers 10 entitlements to farmer B. On the same day, farmer B transfers these same entitlements to farmer C. Farmer B must not add or subtract any entitlements because for a string transfer to be valid, all the entitlements transferred at the start of the string must be transferred to the end of the string without any amendment.

In these cases, all RLE 1s in the string transfer must be sent to us in the same envelope to be processed together so that the second and subsequent RLE 1s do not have to wait six weeks until the previous one completes.

What you must do:

send all the RLE 1s together in one envelope;
make sure no entitlements are added to or subtracted from those in the first transfer of the string;
make sure that all entitlements in the first transfer complete to the end of the string;
tell us the order the string transfers should take place by filling in section B4 on each RLE 1; and
make sure all the transfers in the string have the same effective date of transfer at B3b.

If any of the RLE 1s in the string are wrong, for example if one RLE 1 is not signed, we will reject the whole string. We cannot guarantee that we will be able to process transfers that are submitted together as part of a string so you may want to seek professional advice before submitting the RLE 1s.

Leasing SPS entitlements

34. How can SPS entitlements be leased?
Entitlements can only be leased with at least an equal number of hectares of land eligible for SPS in the same English region. The lease for the land must be for at least as long as the lease of entitlements but the lease of land may start before the lease of the entitlements and end after the entitlements lease end date (this also applies to periodic tenancies). If no lease end date is provided on the RLE 1, we will write to the lessor every 4 years to ask if the lease is still in operation.

If there is insufficient land to support the entitlements because for example ineligible land has been included, we will contact the lessor to discuss how to proceed with the transfer and the options open to them.

35. At the end of the lease does the lessee (tenant) have to fill in an RLE 1 to return the SPS entitlements to the lessor?
No. At the end of the lease we will automatically return the entitlements to the lessor (landlord) unless they have expired or are no longer available to transfer. We will send both parties a letter when this has been completed or if we are unable to return the entitlements.

36. Can I amend the end date of a lease?
Yes, the lessor/landlord may extend the lease. They can do this by telephone, e-mail or letter but the lessor must tell us at least six weeks before the date the lease was originally due to end. Otherwise we will treat the lease as ending on the date that we have in our records and automatically return the entitlements to the lessor. A new RLE 1 will need to be filled in by the lessor to transfer the entitlements back to the lessee. We cannot accept notification from the lessee for a lease to be extended.

Either the lessor or the lessee may end the lease early. They can do this by telephone, e-mail or letter but we must receive the notification at least six weeks before the date the lease is to be ended. They will need to make sure that they are properly empowered for their business and have the correct security in place. See Q18 for more information on empowerments.

37. If I am a farmer leasing out my SPS entitlements, can I tell you of my intention to enter into a new lease of the SPS entitlements while the existing lease of those SPS entitlements is still running?
Yes, you may tell us of your intention to lease entitlements while an existing lease of those entitlements is still running. The usual requirement to give at least six weeks notice of the lease will apply. You may need to treat this as a string transfer if you are ending the first lease early and then transferring the entitlements onto a new lessee (see Q33). Please note that you can only lease entitlements with land.

38. Can a tenant transfer SPS entitlements that they established in 2005 to a landlord, and could the landlord transfer the SPS entitlements on to a new tenant?
Yes, entitlements can be transferred to a landlord (provided they meet the definition of a farmer), and the entitlements can then be transferred to a new tenant. You may need to send us the RLE 1s as a string transfer (see Q33).
Important - Please note that this is not a surrender of entitlements even if you are ‘surrendering your lease’ back to your landlord. Please put an ‘X’ in either the Sale/gift of entitlements with land box or Sale/gift of entitlements without land box at B1.

39. I am surrendering my lease. How do I transfer my SPS entitlements to my landlord?
If you established the entitlements in 2005 you will need to fill in an RLE 1 to transfer the entitlements to your landlord. Please put an ‘X’ in either the Sale/gift of entitlements with land box or Sale/gift of entitlements without land box at B1. Do not tick the Surrender box as this means the entitlements will be transferred to the National Reserve and not back to your landlord. If you leased in the entitlements in 2006 or later, you will need to give us six weeks notice to end the lease (see Q36).

40. Can SPS entitlements be sublet?
Yes, if the head lease allows this, a farmer who has leased in entitlements may sublet them to another farmer if they are the current holder of them. Please write ‘SUBLET’ on the front page of the RLE 1 in the blank space below Main CPH at Part A: General details. Make sure you do not write over any pre-printed data on the front of the RLE 1. The normal rules for transferring entitlements must be followed and an RLE 1 must be filled in. The sublease of entitlements must be accompanied by the lease of at least an equal number of hectares of SPS eligible land in the same English region. The end date of the sub-lease must not be later than the end date of the head lease. At the end of the sub-lease agreement the land and entitlements will automatically revert to the sub-lessor and we will tell both the sub-lessor and sub-lessee by letter when this has been completed. The sub-lessee may also end the sub-lease early but must give us at least six weeks advance notice in writing. We cannot accept notification from the sub-lessee for a lease to be extended.

41. Can I sublet my SPS entitlements from the same date on which my lease begins?
Yes. In these circumstances, the RLE 1s will be treated as a string transferring the entitlements from the lessor to the lessee and from the lessee to the sub-lessee and can be submitted at the same time. There is no need to wait for the first transfer (from the owner to the lessee) to be processed (i.e. one six week notification period can cover both transactions). However, the normal string rules will apply and all the entitlements from the start of the string must end up at the end of the string. To make sure that these RLE 1s are processed correctly if they are to be treated as a string transfer:

send the RLE 1s for the lease and sub-lease of entitlements to RPA in a single envelope;
write ‘SUBLET’ in the blank space below Main CPH at Part A: General details. Make sure you do not write over any pre-printed data on the front of the RLE 1 concerned (also see Q33 for more information on string transfers); and
put an ‘X’ in the string transfer box at B4 and fill in the sequence numbers e.g. 1 of 3.

If you only want to sublet some of the entitlements that you have leased in, this will be treated as separate transfers which will require separate six week notification periods. Send us the RLE 1 for the sub-lease with a letter explaining that you are sub-leasing the entitlements and write ‘SUBLET’ in the blank space below Main CPH at Part A: General details. Make sure you do not write over any pre-printed data on the front of the RLE 1.

42. If I assign the remainder of my lease to another farmer, can I use that to accompany a lease of SPS entitlements to them? What is the process?
Yes, if the head lease of the entitlements allows this. It must be clear from the contract between the parties that the assignment of the lease of land and the lease of the entitlements are parts of the same transaction.

The process will be the same as for subletting except that when you submit the RLE 1 for the lease of entitlements to RPA you should include a letter explaining that you are leasing the entitlements using the assignment of the remainder of the lease of land to accompany them, and write ‘ASSIGNMENT’ in the blank space below Main CPH at Part A: General details. Make sure you do not write over any pre-printed data on the front of the RLE 1.

Land registrations, boundary changes and land transfers (see also RLR FAQ)

43. How do I get an RLE 1?

Call us on 0845 603 7777. It will take about 10 days for a pre-printed RLE 1 to reach you. We can also send you a blank RLE 1.
You can get a blank RLE 1 from Drop-in Centres between March and June. You can find a list of Drop-in Centres on the Our Offices page. If you are an agent and need more than one blank RLE 1 please e-mail us at csc@rpa.gsi.gov.uk or call us on 0845 603 7777.

Boundary change, registering a permanent ineligible feature or transferring land out of agricultural production – B
Combine land parcel – C
Divide land parcel – D
New land parcel registration - N

If you are transferring out a land parcel to another farmer leave D4 blank. If you are transferring a land parcel out of agricultural production or registering a permanent ineligible feature put ‘B’ in column D4. For more information read the RLE 1 Guidance.

47. I am a Forestry Commission or Natural England customer involved in an RDPE scheme (Woodland Grant Scheme or Environmental Stewardship Scheme). How do I get an SBI and/or CPH so I can fill in an RLE 1 to register my land?
You can apply for a Single Business Identifier (SBI) number, a Vendor number and an Agricultural Holding number (CPH) by calling us on 0845 603 7777 between 8:30am and 5pm Monday – Friday (except public holidays). You can ask for an RLE 1 to be sent to you when you register for an SBI. It usually takes approximately 10 days for the RLE 1 to reach you. You can also contact the Forestry Commission or Natural England for a blank RLE 1 to be sent to you. If you get a blank RLE 1 please remember to write RDPE on the front of the RLE 1 in the blank space below Main CPH at Part A: General details. Make sure you do not write over any printed data on the front of the RLE 1.

Assignment	This means that you transfer your rights, claim or interests to another party.
Empowered person	An empowered person is someone who acts on behalf of your business, with the permission of the members of you business. The empowered person can be a member of your business or another person (for example an agent) acting on behalf of your business or you as a sole trader. If your business is not a sole trader you must tell us who you authorise to be the empowered person by using either the Customer Registration Form (CReg 01) or the Agent/Partner Authorisation Form (SP9).
Empowerments	This is the level to which an empowered person is authorised by you to act for the business. All empowered people should be named on an SP9, CReg 01 or CREG 10. To find out more about empowerments see the Customer Registration pages or Annex E of the Single Payment Scheme Handbook for England 2010.
Farmer	A farmer is a natural or legal person (or a group of such persons, whatever the legal status of the group or its members in national law): with a holding in the European Union, who exercises an agricultural activity, which includes maintaining the land in Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC).
Farm based SBI	This is a Single Business Identifier which is a unique nine digit number given to a farmer or business that is involved in an agricultural activity. It is not a trader SBI.
IACS 26/27	These are Business Questionnaires which you use to tell us of changes to the structure of your business or when you set up a new business. Copies of the IACS 26 & 27 forms can be found here.
Lessee	The farmer or business taking on the lease from the lessor. Also known as a tenant.
Lessor	The person or business granting the lease.
Merger	The joining of two or more separate businesses into one business which will operate under a single SBI.
PI	Personal Identifier. This is a unique nine digit number which is given to an individual (including agents), empowered to act on behalf of a business.
RDPE	Rural Development Programme for England 2007–2013. This provides funding for rural areas. It replaced the England Rural Development Programme 2000–2006 in December 2007.
Scission	The separation of one business into two or more separate businesses each operating under a single SBI.
Six week notification period	This is a regulatory requirement for the transferor to tell the Rural Payments Agency of their intention to transfer entitlements with or without land by sending us a valid RLE 1. The six week period does not start until the day after we receive a valid RLE 1.
Sole trader	A farmer who is the single owner of a whole business which is not a limited company or partnership.
String transfer	This is where entitlements are transferred from farmer A to farmer B who immediately transfers them to farmer C without any other entitlements being added or any subtracted from the original A to B transfer. There is no additional six week notification period required for the B to C transfer.
Sublet	A transfer of leased entitlements and land to another farmer that has been leased to you.
Surrender	This means that you are no longer farming or no longer require the entitlements and do not want to transfer them to another farmer. The entitlements will be surrendered to the National Reserve.
Transferee	The business receiving the entitlement(s) and/or land.
Transferor	The business transferring out the entitlement(s) and/or land.

Page published: 11 June 2012