Members of the agricultural press were yesterday given a first glimpse of the all-important online Single Application Form (SAF).
In the same way that its predecessor was the key to unlocking the old Single Farm Payment, this new form will unlock the Basic Payment Scheme at the heart of the reformed CAP.
The differences are immediately apparent, but the good news is that the new format will be more flexible and, if first appearances are anything to go by, no more complicated to use.
Whereas the old on-line system replicated the paper forms by having around a dozen fields on each data sheet, the new one devotes one page to each land parcel, allowing far more room for details such as split cropping or Environmental Focus Area features.
David Barnes, Chief Agricultural officer with Scottish Government, was in his department’s Perth office to explain the new system and how it will help deliver £4 billion of rural support over the next five years.
“As we are aware, the new policy comes with its complications but the new Rural Payments and Services (RPS) system will make the process as simple and clear as it can be,” he said, while at the same time urging customers not to be afraid to bring any problems to light with his staff.
The new RPS is one of the largest Government projects currently under way and has to date cost around £138 million to implement.
Mr Barnes added that, although paper-based application forms would be available, he thoroughly recommended using the on-line version and hoped the vast majority of the more than 20,000 eligible businesses would take the option.
For those without a computer or in areas without adequate broadband he suggested using the facilities at libraries, using an agent or simply making an appointment at a Scottish government office. Around 100 staff around the country have been trained to take applicants through the process.
There are, as was demonstrated, real advantages in applying online, not the least of which is the automatic validation which corrects any errors, arithmetical or otherwise.
For example if an application seems not to comply with the three-crop rule this will be automatically flagged up.
There is also access to the applicant’s field maps in conventional format or as aerial photographs.
This is helpful in itself, but made more so by the incorporation of a nifty measuring tool. Simply by moving the cursor around the boundary of a land parcel or ineligible feature it can be measured to two decimal points of a hectare.
There is one major hurdle to overcome first, however. Every existing farm business has to be re-registered online and every new one registered.
There have been teething problems with this process, admitted Mr Barnes, but to date around 7,000 businesses have completed the process.
“We are not doing this re-registration because we have a new computer system,” he stressed. “We are doing it because it is a European Union requirement as part of the new CAP.”
He urged applicants to go through this process as soon as possible to allow plenty time in case help is needed.
Likewise with actually completing the SAF, which will be available from mid-March.
However, he cautioned against undue haste, saying that accuracy was more important. The SAF deadline is, as before, May 15.