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.

“Farmers need to use all of the tools available to them to maintain the competitiveness of their enterprise and IT is an important tool in this regard,” he said.

Mr Smith said the evidence available showed those farmers that have already used the department’s online services have had a very positive experience.

“For example, less than half of one percent of single payment applications submitted online through agfood.ie had errors, compared to about 5% of those on paper.

“These farmers avoided possible delays, and the effort of follow-up contact to resolve errors,” he said

Mr Smith said while online services are of value to all families, they are of particular value to rural dwellers.

“A vast range of services that, in the past, required a rural dweller to make a trip to the nearest big town are now available at the click of a mouse, and this can make a significant difference to the quality of rural life.

“I am keen to see farmers and rural families in Ireland reap the full benefits of using the web and online services,” he said, adding that he wants to see more farmers and rural dwellers go online.

The minister has meanwhile announced that the first payments to farmers in REPS 4 will be made next week. Some 10,800 farmers had applied for REPS 4 by the closing date of May 15 last year.

Under new European Union rules, all administrative checks for these had to be completed before the first payments could be issued.

He said he was disappointed that a significant number of REPS 4 applications have not come through the administrative checks, and will have to be corrected before they can be paid.

“It is a matter of concern to me that we are finding errors and omissions on this scale.

“I have asked my officials to review the results and consider what can be done to bring about an improvement in the quality of applications and plans submitted,” he said.