“Preliminary checks on single applications are to be carried out shortly,” according to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland.

DAERA is first giving applicants “the opportunity to amend any mistakes on the application, without any financial penalty”.

A DAERA spokesperson said: “Farmers will start to receive notices by post, from June 9. Responses must be returned to DAERA no later than June 19, 2017. If the applicant fails to respond to the notice, he or she risks a financial penalty or delayed payment.”

The department added that it is important to know that, as well as preliminary checks, other administrative cross-checks may apply, as well as any on-the-spot checks. These checks are carried out prior to any payment being issued.

Further information is available in the guide to the Basic Payment Scheme on DAERA’s website.

Who do Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) checks apply to?

Checks can only be applied to those who submit an application online.

As it aims to have 100% of applications submitted online by 2018, the department says that this will have benefits for the farmer and will increase the efficiency with which applications can be processed.

The target of 100% of applications submitted online by 2018 is an EU regulatory requirement.