As of Wednesday, 42,683 farmers have already made their Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) online application. Farmers who have not already done so should be making arrangements to submit their application soon, as the deadline is 15 May 2019.
It is an extremely important part of the majority of farmers’ income and, if at all possible, should not be left to the last minute.
Farmers can make the application themselves or through an agent.
The Irish Farmers Journal contacted the president of the Agricultural Consultants Association (ACA) Owen O’Driscoll to hear his tips for making the BPS application:
Make sure you book your appointment with your farm adviser or ensure you are registered to Agfood.ie.. Review the maps and identify any areas that may be ineligible (eg sites of houses, farm roadways) or recently eligible areas (cleared scrub).The maximum eligible area (MEA) is determined by the Department and it is not possible to automatically amend the MEA, but you may request a change if, for example, you have taken out a site for a house, roadway or farm building and want to decrease your eligible area or you have cleared out scrub and want to increase your eligible area.Farmers in Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) should tick the ANC box to ensure they receive this payment.Young farmers participating in the Young Farmers Scheme (YFS) should tick the YFS box to continue to receive the YFS top-up on entitlements. If a lease has expired on land that is usually included in your application, make sure it is renewed and the entitlement transfer is renewed too.Have you any naked hectares (land without entitlements)? Could you lease in, buy or apply to the National Reserve for entitlements for that land?Owen says using an agent to submit the application is beneficial because they have the experience to give you advice and plan for the future. They can also liaise with the Department on the farmer’s behalf to solve problems.
BPS clinics
The Department of Agriculture is assisting farmers to fill out their BPS applications via one-to-one clinics in locations country-wide.
At the clinics, Department staff will guide farmers how to make their online application. According to Department staff, if an applicant has all their details with them on the day and if it is a straight-forward repeat application, the whole process can be over in a matter of minutes.
When attending the clinic, applicants are reminded to bring proof of identification, such as a driving licence or passport.
A list of the clinics being held over the next seven days is shown in Table 1. The clinics will be held country-wide most days every week until Monday 13 May. A full list is available on www.farmersjournal.ie.
As of Wednesday, 42,683 farmers have already made their Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) online application. Farmers who have not already done so should be making arrangements to submit their application soon, as the deadline is 15 May 2019.
It is an extremely important part of the majority of farmers’ income and, if at all possible, should not be left to the last minute.
Farmers can make the application themselves or through an agent.
The Irish Farmers Journal contacted the president of the Agricultural Consultants Association (ACA) Owen O’Driscoll to hear his tips for making the BPS application:
Make sure you book your appointment with your farm adviser or ensure you are registered to Agfood.ie.. Review the maps and identify any areas that may be ineligible (eg sites of houses, farm roadways) or recently eligible areas (cleared scrub).The maximum eligible area (MEA) is determined by the Department and it is not possible to automatically amend the MEA, but you may request a change if, for example, you have taken out a site for a house, roadway or farm building and want to decrease your eligible area or you have cleared out scrub and want to increase your eligible area.Farmers in Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) should tick the ANC box to ensure they receive this payment.Young farmers participating in the Young Farmers Scheme (YFS) should tick the YFS box to continue to receive the YFS top-up on entitlements. If a lease has expired on land that is usually included in your application, make sure it is renewed and the entitlement transfer is renewed too.Have you any naked hectares (land without entitlements)? Could you lease in, buy or apply to the National Reserve for entitlements for that land?Owen says using an agent to submit the application is beneficial because they have the experience to give you advice and plan for the future. They can also liaise with the Department on the farmer’s behalf to solve problems.
BPS clinics
The Department of Agriculture is assisting farmers to fill out their BPS applications via one-to-one clinics in locations country-wide.
At the clinics, Department staff will guide farmers how to make their online application. According to Department staff, if an applicant has all their details with them on the day and if it is a straight-forward repeat application, the whole process can be over in a matter of minutes.
When attending the clinic, applicants are reminded to bring proof of identification, such as a driving licence or passport.
A list of the clinics being held over the next seven days is shown in Table 1. The clinics will be held country-wide most days every week until Monday 13 May. A full list is available on www.farmersjournal.ie.
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