Leeway needed in SPS debut
They’ll work until midnight on Monday, May 16, and will also stay on the job over the next two weekends, from 9.15am to 5.30pm at Portlaoise, from where the new scheme is being administered, and in local county offices.
But that’s the only concession.
Farmers are being warned by Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan that if they don’t lodge an application, they will lose scheme entitlements forever.
She says farmers shouldn’t hope for an extension on the scheme application closing date, because it’s laid down in the EU Council Regulation 1782/2003 and must, therefore, be respected.
She makes no mention of the difficulties in getting through to her department’s Single Payment helpline, or the inaccuracies on some of the 400,000 maps being sent to all farmers who submitted an Area Aid application in 2004.
It is inevitable that the department would have some difficulties in the changeover to the new subsidy scheme for about 135,000 farmers.
But the minister should take this opportunity to correct the feeling of deep resentment among farmers that they are expected to get every detail right, but there’s no problem if the department makes errors.
Some leeway on the minister’s side would make up for this, bearing in mind that she is asking a lot of farmers to satisfy all the terms and conditions listed in the 31-page helpsheet which accompanies the Single Payment Scheme application form.
She should bear in mind that the challenge in applying for the scheme has already resulted in one in five of the forms submitted so far by Northern Ireland’s farmers having to be returned because of errors.
In the UK, one farmer who has no trouble with filing out the form, Ian Spincer, has set up a website and is charging landowners £150 to ensure they get their application in on time. He is dealing primarily with landowners new to the farm subsidy bureaucracy, such as horse owners.
Whether in Ireland or the UK, it’s the most important application form ever for farmers, says IFA president John Dillon.
Regardless of the inevitable problems or outstanding queries farmers might have on entitlements or land area, Mr Dillon has advised them to apply before the closing date.
If the need arises, applications can be amended up to May 31.
It’s such an important application that farmers should obtain a receipt for their application at the local department office, or keep the Swiftpost receipt from the post office as proof of posting.
The scheme was set up to replace most existing agricultural subsidies, and reduce farmers’ paperwork - but the preliminary application is a huge paperwork headache to get over first.
Ms Coughlan must ensure that bureaucratic bungling or farmers’ genuine mistakes do not leave farmers - and Ireland - losing out on the Single Payment for years to come.
