BPS application tips and reminders for 2024

There are different approaches to the Basic Payment Scheme claims system in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, with changes this year in some nations that farmers need to be aware of, along with reminders of the process in others.

See also: SFI: Tips on making it work on your arable farm

Wales

The Farmers Union of Wales (FUW) helps thousands of farmers to complete their single application form (SAF) each year as part of their membership package.

Rebecca Voyle, FUW special policy adviser, highlights that this year the Welsh government is carrying out a review and updating the tenure details for all land parcels it holds details of.

This means that for each field, as well as looking at the crop code, the size of any ineligible features and boundaries, checks also need to be made that the correct tenure has been declared – in other words, whether the field is owned or rented.

“If it is rented, you will need to confirm the rental type, start and end dates, whether it is a recurring rental and, most importantly, whether you have management control,” she says.

“If the management control box is not ticked, you will not be able to claim direct payments against the parcel, so please check this carefully.”

For those with Habitat Wales Scheme contracts there are a couple of additional sections on the SAF this year and the opportunity for farmers to notify Rural Payments Wales (RPW) of any habitat classification management requirements in their contract that they are unable to comply with.

Those applying for organic support must make sure that field numbers on the Organic Control Body land schedule for 1 January to 31 December 2024 match those declared on the 2024 SAF.

Farmers should also watch for a preliminary check letter. These will be issued after 15 May and will highlight potential errors in the information submitted on the SAF. 

If any changes are needed following receipt of the letter, applicants have until 19 June 2024 to make them.

The deadline for trading Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) entitlements for a 2024 claim is 15 May, which is also the deadline for applications.

© Joe Somerville

Scotland

The SAF window opened on 15 March and closes at midnight on 15 May.

Scotland’s Farm Advisory Service (FAS) is reminding applicants that all BPS entitlements transfer forms must be submitted by 2 April.

Before farmers start to complete the form, they should take the time to check that all the correct land details are on Rural Payments and Services, says the FAS.

The easiest way to do this is to access the map on the Map Viewer tool.

Any map changes needed can be submitted either via the online mapping system or on a paper land maintenance form.

Any land change notifications submitted online or received on paper up to and including 16 April will automatically be processed by the land mapping team.

However, from 16 April until 15 May the land mapping team will seek confirmation from applicants before processing land change requests, so farmers can take a view on the right timing depending on their SAF status.

The “Communication log” on the online portal will store any land inspection finding reports or reduction and exclusion letters and these may be useful to refer to.

While in the system completing the form, applicants should also check that information about the business type and all those involved is correct.

“For example, for a partnership, it would be prudent to check that all partners are listed on the ‘Funding’ tab on Rural Payments and Services,” says the FAS.

The funding tab can be found by hovering over the “Business details” section on the green toolbar on the homepage. 

At the end of the SAF, there is the option to opt in to mailings from the Scottish government for news and opportunities relevant to the business.

Opting into this can be helpful as it means farmers will receive direct mailings on topics such as the Agriculture Reform Programme.

© Adobe Stock

Northern Ireland

Damian McCloskey, chairman of the Agricultural Consultants Association (NI), who works for a farm consultancy business based in County Antrim, reminds farmers they are facing a 9% reduction in the unit value of their BPS entitlements this year.

“The money is being taken to fund the new Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme, which is causing some consternation, particularly for those claimants with no beef cattle,” he says.

There is also the prospect of a further cut in entitlement values next year as more money is siphoned off to fund the Suckler Cow Scheme.

In terms of the process of filling out the single application (SA), not much has changed for 2024.

However, one area to watch is where the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) has reviewed maps and merged or split fields, as the claimed area against those land parcels is often shown as zero.

“There have been an awful lot of map revisions and it will be important to check that the total claimed area is for the same number of hectares as previous years, assuming you haven’t lost or gained any land.”

Farmers who are in the Environmental Farming Scheme (EFS) or Small Woodland Grant Scheme are also reminded that they need to submit their annual claim form, although that part of the system will not be ready until late April.

“If people go in and fill in their single application form early, they may think they have completed everything, but they will not have made their claim for the EFS,” warns Damian.

“These are five-year agreements and although most of the work is often done in the first year, you still have to claim every year, or you may have to pay the money back.”

Daera is using a secure messaging service for some of its communications with claimants, which means it is important farmers check that it holds an up-to-date email address for them.

Entitlement transfer applications must be submitted by Thursday 2 May and the SA by 15 May.

© Tim Scrivener

England

Farmers in England do not need to fill out a BPS form this year – effectively for the first time since the introduction of the CAP’s Integrated Administration and Control System in 1993. This is because payments are now delinked from land.

Previous claimants should have received an information statement in November or December 2023 from the Rural Payments Agency which showed the reference amounts that will be used to calculate their delinked payment from 2024 to 2027.

The money should simply arrive in bank accounts in two tranches – from 1 August and 1 December – and will be taxed as income, as was the case with BPS.

Richard Wordsworth, NFU senior support schemes adviser, says it is not yet known how the progressive reductions in payments will be applied from 2025 onwards.

“This is a decision that will be made by the next government, remembering that the rates have to be approved by parliament and this has happened annually in late December/early January in each of the past three years.”

Richard also warns that as people move away from the traditional BPS form-filling cycle, they should not forget to submit their Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship revenue claims by the 15 May deadline.

They should also be aware that the transfer window for delinked payments closes on 10 May 2024 and is the only chance for businesses to transfer reference values (other than in certain inheritance cases when transfers can take place until 2027).

“We would suggest farmers should look for the latest information on transfers of BPS reference data well before the 10 May deadline. The transfer window involves an online or paper form process to submit a transfer request. The method you need to use depends on the type of transfer/situation you are involved in.”