Around 6,000 farmers who actively farmed in 2013 but did not get a direct payment can now apply for the Scottish Derogation.

The farmer must never have owned or leased SFP entitlements. They do not need to have submitted an SFP application, but must have been farming beef, dairy, sheep or grown arable crops on 15 May 2015.

The Department will use its cattle databases to verify on the cattle side and look to the submitted sheep census that year. Arable farmers will have to submit evidence of buying inputs or selling grain in 2013.

The eligible hectares cannot have been submitted by another farmer in 2013.

Farmers who grew fruit and/or vegetables in 2013 on a minimum area of 1ha can get in under the fruit and vegetable provision.

Successful farmers will start at €0/ha, but under convergence will get paid €30/ha including greening this year and rise to €150/ha by 2019. The deadline for application is 29 May.

Force majeure

The force majeure category is also open for applications. This is focused on farmers who had unforeseen illness or issues around the transfer of land entitlements after the death of the original farmer.

If you are missing the allocation right in 2013 or reduced hectares in 2013 or 2015 and/or had reduced payments in 2014, you could apply. You must be below the national average value of entitlements to benefit.

A good example is a widow whose husband died in 2013, forcing her to lease part of the land out. She farmed it again in 2014.

She could go to the National Reserve to get a lift in entitlements for the leased out land in 2013. Verification will be required.

Old Young Farmers

Fewer than 50 applications have ben received under the Old Young Farmers category.

Farmers who are under 40 and started farming from 1 January 2008 to 31 December 2009 and did not get the installation aid should apply.

The Department will start writing to new entrants and young farmers who submiited an application under the National Reserve, but have not put in the evidence for income/education.

An application is not valid until this is provided.

Slow process in BPS

The BPS applications were heading for 35,000 yesterday and remain well behind the same date last year.

The extension to 29 May is the main reason, but the weather is now right for indoor work.

The number of GLAS applications has lifted to 21,000, a lift of 3,000 in the last week despite the issues some advisers are having with the system.

Of these, around 13,000 have taken the next step to identify actions.