Facilities for accepting Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and Greening applications are expected to open next week, AgriLand understands.

It is believed that the next round of applications for this year will be accepted online in the coming days.

Some farmers have received letters from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine with maps and pre-printed lists of their entitlements, but the letters are going out on a phased basis.

However, all necessary testing will not be concluded until next week at which point the system will go live, allowing farmers to submit their applications.

Earlier this week, the department confirmed that it is updating its mapping and imagery systems for EU-funded schemes such as the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and other Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) initiatives.

Confirming the move, a department spokesperson said that the update is being done to “take account of best available technologies and to keep to the standard required for the delivery” of such schemes.

This new version of the Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) will allow “the new mapping to give a more accurate reflection of the land parcel boundaries that are used in department schemes”, the representative added.

The latest phase of this modernisation is now underway and the new version will be used for Co. Louth from January 2019. It will be rolled out across the rest of the country on a phased basis.

A comprehensive communication campaign is currently being rolled out by the department to ensure that farmers, agents and farm bodies are informed of the changeover to the new system.