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Creed Attends BPS Online Clinic – Reminds Farmers to Apply Online
Minister Creed attends BPS Clinic in Macroom; pictured are Minister Creed, farmer John O’Leary and Laura Kelly, DAFM
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, today attended one of the series of Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) online clinics for farmers in the Riverside Park Hotel in Macroom. The Minister reminded all farmers that in 2018 all BPS and transfer of entitlements applications must be made online.
He commented
The closing date for BPS applications is now less than 3 weeks away and I would encourage all farmers to make their application as soon as possible. I am pleased to note that already over 70,600 farmers have made their applications online.
The process of applying online is quick and simple, and farmers can make their applications at www.agfood.ie. The Minister added
in order to help farmers through the online application process, staff from my Department have organised clinics around the country in recent weeks. These clinics have proved very popular with farmers as they have been able to sit down on a one to one basis with a staff member from my Department and complete their application on the spot.
The closing date for receipt of BPS and transfer of entitlement applications online is 15 May, and the Department has put in place a range of supports for farmers in the run up to this deadline.
The Minister concluded “details in relation to remaining online clinics are available on www.agriculture.gov.ie and they are also being publicised via media outlets and direct communication with farmers by my Department. Whilst noting that the vast majority of farmers already engage with the application process online, I am committed to ensuring that the move to online application is as easy as possible for those farmers making the move from a paper based application. All farmers will benefit from the efficiencies that the online application process brings As the deadline of 15 May approaches, we will continue to monitor the rate of submission of online applications and we will be maintaining the supports that have been put in place for farmers to help them meet the deadline .”