A calculation issue involving space for nature percentages is set to affect some agri-scheme applications, including over 1,000 which have already been submitted.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) wrote to Farm Advisory System (FAS) advisors this week to inform them of the matter.
The space for nature percentage is displayed on the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) application portal for both Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) 8 and for Eco-Scheme Agricultural Practice 1.
Calculation
In the correspondence seen by Agriland, the department said that it had been contacted by farmers and advisors in relation to cases where farmers were being credited with a space for nature percentage which included the total area of the land parcel rather than the area of scrub exclusion.
E.g., this meant that a farmer with a 5ha parcel with a 1ha scrub exclusion was getting 5ha of space for nature instead of 1ha.
The department told advisors that the calculation issue was corrected by Friday, May 5.
It said that applications which have yet to be started and submitted have been updated to reflect the correction, where required.
“You should be mindful that the current space for nature figure may well be lower now than it was initially presented to either you or the farmer prior to the calculation correction on May 5.”
The department said that in some cases this will mean that farmers applying for the eco-scheme will have to choose an alternative to the space for nature option.
Applications
Applications with a draft status prior to May 5 which have been impacted by the calculation correction have been deleted by the department.
Any mapping edits made by advisors or farmers have been saved and will be available when a new draft application is created.
The department said that just over 1,100 applications already submitted by advisors up to May 5 are impacted by the correction.
In these cases, advisors will need to submit an amendment within the timeframe set out in the terms and conditions of BISS.
The DAFM eco-scheme section will provide affected advisors with a list of any of their applications which have been impacted in the coming days.
The email will contain the affected herd numbers which require an amendment to be carried out.
A spokesperson for DAFM told Agriland: “The department is in regular contact with FAS advisors and meets with representatives from both the ACA [Agricultural Consultants’ Association] and Teagasc on a weekly basis”.
The spokesperson confirmed that an update about the calculation issue was issued to advisors yesterday (Thursday, May 11).
The department began contacting affected advisors individually yesterday afternoon.
The issue will no doubt pose a headache for advisors who are already under pressure to meet the BISS application deadline of May 29.
Space for nature
A farmer information clinic on schemes under the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) held by the DAFM in Tralee, Co. Kerry this week heard that over 80% of farmers who have applied for the eco-scheme have selected the space for nature option.
A total of eight agricultural practices (APs), including space for nature, have been defined within the criteria laid down within the scheme.
Under the new Eco-Scheme Agricultural Practice 1, if a farmer has at least 7% space for nature on their holding, this will count as one of the two required actions to receive a payment.
The enhanced option under this agricultural practice outlines that if a farmer has at least 10% space for nature on their holding it will count as two practices and will qualify for a full eco-scheme payment.
Under the CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027, GAEC 8 requires a farmer to devote 4% of eligible land to biodiversity and landscape protection.
The 4% conditionality is a requirement for the BISS in 2023, farmers who do not reach this threshold will incur a sanction on their payment.