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:
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.