A total of 130,152 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) applications have been received by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
2018 was the first year that all BPS applications were made online; it was made obligatory by the department to submit these applications online this year.
In 2008, approximately 20,000 applications were submitted online and this figure increased steadily over the 10-year period.
In 2017, 87% of BPS applications were made online. This amounted to approximately 114,000.
Image source: Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
In an effort to make the adjustment easier on farmers, the department set up clinics to assist in submitting online applications this year.
The Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, also announced the early opening of the BPS and Greening applications process on February 7, in order to give applicants sufficient time to submit. The closing date for applications was May 15.
Advantages to online submissions
The availability of preliminary checks – as part of the department’s online applications process – has reduced the number of penalties incurred by farmers in recent years.
Preliminary checks are used to identify any overclaims, overlaps or dual claims in a BPS application. The applicant can then make the appropriate changes – within a specified time frame – to ensure that penalties are not incurred.
A total of almost 8,000 applicants benefited from preliminary checks in 2017. This reduces the risk of penalties.