agriculture.gov.ie Basic Payment Scheme Ireland : Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine

Organization : Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine
Scheme Name : Basic Payment Scheme
Country : Ireland
Website : https://www.agriculture.gov.ie/farmerschemespayments/
Terms & Conditions : https://www.statusin.org/uploads/28487-BPS.pdf

BPS :

Certain categories of farmers are obliged to submit their 2017 BPS/Greening Payment application using the department’s online system (iNET). These categories are;

Related : Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine Sheep Welfare Scheme Ireland : www.statusin.org/28493.html

** Arable farmers, who had 10 hectares or more of arable land under the 2016 BPS Scheme, or who declare 10 hectares or more of arable land in 2017;

** Organic farmers, who participate in the Organic Farming Scheme;
** Farm Partnerships, who are registered in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine’s Register of Farm Partnerships;

** Recognised Share farming arrangements who want to apply under the share-farming arrangement.
** All GLAS approved farmers

From 2018 onwards all farmers will be obliged to submit their BPS application using the department’s online system.

Completing the BPS application online :
If your login or password are expired and need to be renewed please contact the Department’s helpdesk at 076 1064424. If you are not currently registered for online services you will need to do so, go to official website and click register.

Should you experience any difficulty registering please contact our helpdesk for assistance. Alternatively, you can authorise an agricultural consultant or Teagasc advisor to apply on your behalf. To access the relevant authorisation forms please go to official website

A 2017 BPS application that is completed and submitted online to the Department by a farmer or his/her authorised Agent will be accepted as a valid application provided that all other conditions of the BPS are met.

The submission of a paper application is not necessary in these circumstances. The land details presented online and pre-printed on the paper application reflects the farmer’s position following the processing of their 2016 BPS application and the outcome of any review undertaken by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.

The online application is designed with a view to preventing the typical errors that recur on the paper applications each year. The online application contains mandatory fields that the farmer must complete which helps eliminate processing delays as a result of incomplete details.

Advantages of the online system include;
** Built in warnings which will help to avoid certain errors in your application such as missing parcel details or over-declaration of area claimed which will help to avoid a possible penalty

** Immediate confirmation of the submission of your application.

** Online editing and submission of maps. Farmers and/or their agents who are registered for the BPS online facility can access their maps from the Land Details page and mark out ineligible areas on their maps, amend borders etc. and submit these to the department through the online application.

** Consistency between your GLAS plan and your BPS application, the BPS online system will provide on screen notifications to highlight any issues arising in this regard.
** Online videos and helpdesk assistance for completing your application

** Reply online to query letters
** View previous BPS/SPS applications/entitlements and correspondence
** Access payment details for BPS/ANC
** Avail of preliminary checks (see preliminary checks section below)

The online application can be completed in stages. Partially completed online applications can be saved at any stage and returned to later at the farmer’s convenience. The details already entered can be reviewed at any stage before the application is submitted.

A partially completed application cannot however, be accepted as a submitted application. Therefore please ensure you have submitted your application on or before the deadline of May 15 2017.

Documentation available online :
Access to comprehensive documentation is available online. This includes a summary screen of the farmer’s current entitlements position, details of land parcels declared on previous applications and copies of certain correspondence between the farmer and the Department in the previous scheme year.

Preliminary checks :
Preliminary checks are exclusive to online farmers and allow for pre-checks of online BPS applications for any non-compliance in the areas of over-claims, dual claims and overlaps.

Farmers are notified via the online system and offered the opportunity to rectify any such noncompliance with no penalty applied where the non-compliance is fully rectified by 19th June 2017.

As the Department continues to progress towards the EU regulatory requirement of 100% online BPS application by 2018, these checks add a further benefit to farmers who apply online and increase the efficiency with which BPS applications can be processed.

The purpose of preliminary checks is to enhance the correctness of BPS applications with the aim of lowering reductions and administrative penalties. Full administrative checks are still required before payment issues.

Issues addressed by preliminary checks :
Preliminary checks will identify any over-claims, overlaps or dual claims in respect of online BPS applications. Where a preliminary check identifies such an issue farmers are given the opportunity to amend their claim by 19th June 2017.

Farmers may wish to retain their original claim, or to amend their claim in light of the preliminary check notification.