Over 70,000 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) application packs have been issued to farmers. The remainder will be issued over the coming days. The form will be pre-printed with details from the 2015 application and a set of maps of the parcels submitted. The deadline for applications is Monday 16 May. The push this year is to increase the number of applications online. Most farmers get an agent/advisor to submit their application. There does appear to be a delay within the Department on linking agents with farmers, so make sure you contact your advisor if you have not applied online before.

At this stage 3,465 on-line applications have been received. This should start to increase rapidly now that paper applications are out. There is also a strong demand for leasing entitlements without land, with farmers willing to pay 40%-70% depending on the overall value. Most entitlements are where farmers have lost rented land or are making an active decision not to rent expensive land just to draw down entitlements.

2015 BPS

The Department got through 103 BPS cases that were paid in the last week. It brings the total paid to 124,924. There have been 95,508 ANC applicants paid in excess of €202.5m. They did not give an update on figures on the number paid under the National Reserve or young farmers scheme. In all cases the remaining situations are complicated and the Department has been in contact with farmers to try and process.

The final statement of entitlements will be due out in late April. This should see the final 3% of money held back by the Department finally be paid out.