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.
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.
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.