Final Tier 1 letters of offer

The final letters of offer under the Tier 1 capital grant element of the Farm Business Improvement Scheme (FBIS-C) are currently being issued to successful applicants. “Countryside Services Ltd have issued the vast majority of letters of offer to successful FBIS-C, Tier 1 (second tranche) applicants and are continuing to issue the final letters of offer in order of merit,” a DAERA spokesperson said on Wednesday.

A budget of £7.9m is available for this tranche of the scheme and it is expected that slightly over half of the 3,000 applicants will receive letters of offer.

DAERA to consult on farm support

DAERA officials are planning to begin a consultation process in the late summer on post-Brexit agricultural policy in NI, according to Sinn Féin MLA Declan McAleer.

Speaking after a meeting with DAERA officials earlier this week, McAleer said that the department should publish details of a policy framework on future farm support payments, that have been developed with industry stakeholders, as early as possible.

“They indicated a target of late summer to begin a public consultation process,” he said.

100% of applications online

The online service for submitting Single Application Forms for area-based payments was used for 100% of applications received by DAERA before the deadline at midnight on 15 May.

There were 24,610 Single Applications received by the department by Tuesday night.

Single Applications that were submitted before the deadline can be amended without penalty to change the area claimed up to 31 May. Applications can then be amended from 1 to 11 June to increase area claimed, but penalties will apply on the amended fields at 1% of the payment for each day the amendment is late.

Late applications received between 16 May and 11 June will be subject to a penalty of 1% for every working day the application is late.

The final date for receiving applications and increasing area claimed is 11 June. However, the area claimed can still be reduced after 11 June without penalty, provided the applicant has not been notified of a penalty or planned inspection.