Farmers urged to check their maps immediately
THE UFU is urging all members to check the accuracy of your new farm maps when they arrive by post. Having accurate maps will mean the correct details are pre-printed on your Single Farm Payment IACS form later this year.
UFU president Harry Sinclair: “We all understand that we want to keep red tape to a minimum in the industry and there is no doubt that the issuing of new maps to farmers in recent years has caused problems and hassle for individual members. Nevertheless it is in every members interest to ensure a smooth application for the Single Farm Payment. We will continue to advise DARD on our members’ views about maps, but in the meantime I would urge every farmer to take a close look at their new farm maps and check their accuracy.”
The new maps are being issued to all farmers who submitted a Single Application Form in 2012.
The advice to members is to check the accuracy of the maps and contact DARD as soon as possible if any of the information is incorrect. Farmers who need to amend their data should immediately contact DARD Direct on 0300 200 7848 as demand for appointments has been high so far.
The maps have been updated based on the latest available aerial photography. Unfortunately farmers who have sat down with DARD in recent years to update their previous maps, have discovered that the changes they agreed may not have been included on the latest maps. This is very frustrating to say the least for the farmers affected. If you fit into this category, you do unfortunately need to contact DARD once again to get your maps updated, but DARD can take certain steps to minimise the time taken if you had previously submitted a GIS 2 land amendment form and there have been no further changes to your fields in the meantime.
Overall we want to avoid unnecessary delays in members’ Single Farm Payment IACS applications, so please check your maps and contact DARD Direct if you spot any problems. Guidance on what to check on the maps will be issued in the map pack and is also available on the DARD internet site under the ‘Grants & Funding’ section.
Our advice to members is try and get this resolved before Friday 22 February – after that date DARD can still update your map but it will be too late to ensure that the correct details are pre-printed on your 2013 Single Farm Payment IACS form, which could lead to delays in processing your SFP application and indeed the release of your SFP payment later this year.
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Wednesday 19 June 2013
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