The application period for three schemes closed at midnight on Monday of this week (May 17), namely the Basic Payments Scheme (BPS) ; the National Reserve/Young Farmers Scheme (YFS); and the new Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM).
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has now finalised the number of applicants to each of these schemes.
BPS
For the BPS, the department confirmed that 128,742 applications had been received since the scheme opened to applicants on February 18.
After the scheme was opened, farmers should have received a BPS information pack via post containing maps, land details and a ‘help sheet’ to assist in applications.
All applications were made online.
For this year’s payments, there will be a reduction of 2.05% “in order to respect the national direct payments ceiling on foot of the agreement reached on the EU Budget in late 2020”.
When the scheme was announced the department said that farmers would be contacted to be notified of the value of their payment entitlements.
Other schemes
Meanwhile, the application figures for the National Reserve/YFS this year stands at 5,962.
Following consultation between the department and the Direct Payments Advisory Committee (made up of farm organisations and advisory services) earlier in the year, provision was made for the National Reserve for 2021 as part of the transition process to the next Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).
The EU regulations underpinning the operation of the National Reserve provide for priority access to the mandatory categories of ‘Young Farmer’ and ‘New Entrant to Farming’.
Successful applicants to the National Reserve receive an allocation of entitlements at national average value or a top-up to the national average value on entitlements that are below the national average.
Finally, the application figure for the new Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM) was 1,951.
€10 million has been allocated for the pilot scheme, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has previously confirmed.
A payment rate of €250/ha will be available for farmers to chop and incorporate oats, rye, wheat or barley. Oil seed rape is expected to be part of the scheme, but at a lower rate.
The minimum amount of land that can be included in the scheme is 5ha while the maximum amount is 40ha.