Online applications to department better than paper, says minister

FARMERS who apply online to the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food for schemes such as the single payment tend to have fewer errors in their submissions than those who do so using the traditional paper system.

This became clear as Minister Brendan Smith welcomed the interim report of the Committee on the Uptake of IT in Agriculture and Rural Communities (CUITA).

He said with the ongoing reform of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), farming must operate in an increasingly competitive environment.