Thousands of land parcel boundaries could move due to a Scottish Government review aimed at improving mapping accuracy. The Government is inspecting 350,000 land parcels and estimates that no more than 3% will result in a boundary change.

The process will involve 46 full-time staff members across Scotland. The news comes just weeks before Single Application Forms are sent out. Farms found to have underestimated the amount of ineligible land could have reduced payments, or even penalties. If any errors in farm maps are found, penalties can be back-dated to 2015.

Claimants can be inaccurate by 2ha or 3% of their claim, whichever is smaller. Region two and three ground have an additional tolerance due to farmers only able to claim 90% of eligible land. The process is part of a drive by the EU to ensure that farm maps are as accurate as possible.

The timing of the land inspections so close to SAF applications means that many farmers may not know the results of the inspection when they submit their SAFs forms in May.

NFU Scotland director of policy, Jonnie Hall said: “We don’t want this situation when payments are being processed. It is very frustrating when claimants’ maps are altered throughout the SAF window, or even into the inspection period. When making a claim you would rather be fixed. There is always a risk payment will be delayed for whatever reason, through no fault of the applicant.”

The mapping system is an administrative process operated by the Rural Payments and Inspections Division (RPID) in order to deliver CAP payments. RPID update the maps using a number of sources on an ongoing basis, including review of aerial photography, inspection information and farmer notifications.

A spokesperson for the Scottish Government said that “if farmers are aware of any changes to their field boundaries or the ineligibility of their land (eg a new building in a field), they should notify RPID utilising a land maintenance form and the department will update their maps for them.”