The Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs (DAERA) is providing farmers with an opportunity to correct any errors on their Single Application without financial penalty as preliminary checks get underway on all 2017 applications to the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS).
Letters advising farmers of preliminary checks will be issued from 9 June and responses must be returned to DAERA no later than 19 June 2017. Farmers who receive letters are advised to respond to them as soon as possible. If no action is taken to resolve the error before the 19 June 2017, the business may be subject to financial penalties or delayed payments.
Farm businesses will be alerted where DAERA have identified any of the following errors during the preliminary checks process:
*Claimed for a field which is not recognised on the Department’s Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS).
* Claimed an area greater than the Maximum Eligible Area (MEA) in a given field/fields.
* Claimed a field which is also being claimed by another business (duplicate field).
* Not recorded a land usage code on a claimed field.
* Completed field data sheet(s) but have not indicated they wish to apply for Basic and Greening payment.
*Â Completed field data sheet(s) but have not indicated they wish to apply for payment under the Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme (ANC).
It should be noted that in addition to preliminary checks, other administrative cross-checks may apply as well as any on-the-spot checks. Such checks are carried out prior to any payment being issued.
Further information is available in the Guide to the Basic Payment Scheme available on DAERA’s website at:
www.daera-ni.gov.uk/
