Guide on how to complete your 2014 Single Application (SAF1)

Guide on how to complete your
2014 Single Application (SAF1)
and Field Data Sheet (FDS)
You can get a copy of this document in other formats, such as:
• Large print
• Braille
• Audio CD
• Computer disk
• Other languages
To get a copy of this document in another format contact:
Single Farm Payment Branch
Orchard House,
40 Foyle Street,
Derry/Londonderry,
BT48 6AT
Tel: 0300 200 7848
Fax: 028 7131 9800
E-Mail: gspd.sfps@dardni.gov.uk
GUIDE TO COMPLETING YOUR 2014
SINGLE APPLICATION FORM (SAF 1)
AND FIELD DATA SHEET (FDS)
Please read this Guide carefully.
This Guide sets out the information needed to complete your 2014 Single
Application Form and Field Data Sheet if you apply for any of the following:
• 2014 Single Farm Payment Scheme (SFP)
• 2015 Less Favoured Area Compensatory Allowances (LFACA)
• 2014 Northern Ireland Countryside Management Scheme (NICMS)
• 2014 Organic Farming Scheme (OFS)
• Application and registration process for Agricultural Waste Authorisations
We strongly recommend that you complete your 2014 Single Application online.
As we will be working towards all applications being submitted online when new
scheme(s) are introduced following CAP Reform in 2015, completing your
application online will help you to become familiar with this service.
The Department of Agriculture and Rural Development (DARD) will take every
possible step to identify and pursue all attempted fraudulent claims and will
only pay on claims to area-based aid schemes where eligibility has been
established beyond reasonable doubt.
DARD Fraud Hotline Number: - FREEPHONE 0808 100 2716
Contents
Section Subject
1
Page
3
4
14
About the 2014 Guide
1
Checking and completing your Field Data Sheet
15
Introduction
1
Checking and completing your SAF 1
17
Standards of service
1
How to complete your 2014 paper application
25
5
2
Have you an unresolved query with your 2013 application?
Changes for the 2014 claim
3
Introduction
25
Changes to the Single Application Form (SAF 1)
3
Before you start to complete your paper application
25
Pre-populated 2014 Field Data Sheet
3
Completing your paper Field Data Sheet
26
Maps to support the 2014 Single Application
4
Completing your paper SAF 1
26
‘850’ and ‘870’ field numbers
5
Review of common land
5
Maps, Maximum Eligible Area (MEA) and notifying changes
29
Information for applicants who had a
2013 On-the-Spot (OTS) check
6
Maps
29
Maximum Eligible area (MEA)
30
2014 Scaleback of SFP entitlements
6
Notifying changes
30
Modulation
6
• What to do if the MEA is incorrect
30
Land ownership
7
• Changes to field boundaries after 15 May 2014
32
Cross-Compliance
7
• Areas found at OTS checks
33
Personal data disclosure
7
What to do if you have already sent in a LPIS Correction form
33
Assessment of common land and the MEA
33
Declaring and claiming for common land in 2014
34
Unclear bogs
36
Fields no longer in agricultural use
36
Tenants
37
New entrant to farming
37
How to complete your 2014 online application
8
Introduction
8
What you need to complete your application online
8
How to use the online service
8
Checks on online applications
9
6
Online maps (eMap)
10
Instant acknowledgement of online applications
11
7
Shared grazing, multiple claimant fields and field boundaries
38
Information relevant to online and paper applications
12
8
Important dates in the application process
42
Agricultural land you need to include on your Field Data Sheet
12
• Land in conacre or leased
12
9
Information for landowners and tenants on claiming SFP,
LFACA and other area-based aid schemes
43
• Previously identified shared grazing
12
Who is eligible for SFP?
43
• Nitrates Action Programme
13
Landowners
43
• Woodland and forest
13
Tenants
43
• Common land
14
Should I be claiming SFP on the land?
44
10
11
12
13
14
Land use and SFP
45
Who is eligible for 2015 LFACA?
45
Land use and LFACA
46
Introduction
Dual use claims
46
Duplicate field claims
47
Specific issues of interest
48
This Guide explains how to complete your 2014 Single Application (SAF1) and Field
Data Sheet which you must submit to apply for any of the area-based schemes
listed on the application form. It also sets out the changes to be applied for the 2014
Scheme year.
2014 Scaleback of SFP entitlements
48
Order of activating your SFP entitlements
48
€100 minimum payment for SFP
49
Land claimed for SFP under a NIEA designated site
49
OTS land eligibility checks (inspections)
50
Cross-Compliance responsibilities
51
General points to remember
53
Nomination of authorised person
53
Amendments, corrections or withdrawals of application forms
53
Obvious error
55
Cross-border applications
55
Penalties
56
Registration of Agricultural Waste Authorisations
57
Force majeure and exceptional circumstance
58
Introduction
58
Standards of service
Land taken out of production due to force majeure
and exceptional circumstances
58
We are committed to maintaining and improving the quality of service that we
provide in the management of all the schemes under the Single Application process.
Eligible land use codes for column G
61
Contact details
Annex 1 Types of ineligible features
Annex 2 Terms of reference
64
68
70
Section 1
About the 2014 Guide
It is not a full statement or interpretation of the law (which only the European Court
of Justice can give) and it cannot replace specific advice on specific questions.
Refer to this Guide as you work through your application. Take the time to
ensure you complete your application accurately. This will help avoid any delay in
your payment and avoid possible penalty.
We strongly recommend that you complete your 2014 Single Application online.
Paper applications mean slower payments.
Further information regarding online applications is at Section 3 of this Guide.
Should you decide to complete your application by hand, it can be posted to DARD
in the envelope provided or delivered in person at a local DARD Direct office. It is
your responsibility to make sure either your paper or online application arrives before
the closing date for receipt of applications on Thursday 15 May 2014. We will write
and tell you that we have received your postal application but we do not issue a
reminder if we do not receive an application from you.
Further information on important dates in the application process is at Section
8 of this Guide.
In summary, we will do our best to
• send you a receipt of your SAF within 10 working days of receiving it, or an
instant receipt for online applications;
• answer phone queries immediately or within 2 working days, unless we tell
you otherwise;
• advise you as soon as possible where penalties apply to your application;
and
• deal with complaints promptly and efficiently.
Annex 3 List of other information guides available
71
Guide on getting your FDS right
72
A full and detailed list of our standards of service can be found on the DARD website
at www.dardni.gov.uk/index/grants-and-funding.htm
1
We must apply the rules of the SFP and other schemes in line with European Union
(EU) Regulations. If you do not meet these rules your application may be penalised
and your payment reduced. Make sure that you fully understand and can meet the
rules of each scheme for which you apply. We do not have any discretion to vary the
rules to meet individual cases of hardship.
Section 2
1.
Changes for the 2014 claim
Changes to the Single Application Form (SAF1)
A number of changes have been applied to the SAF 1 for 2014, with the main ones
listed as follows:
• For LFACA 2015, you must provide a total number of breeding ewes, female
deer and/or female goats on your holding at the date of application
(Question 3.2).
• The requirement to declare any area of common grazing on the SAF1 has
been removed but you are still required to declare this area on your Field
Data Sheet.
• You no longer need to supply ‘Additional Information’ for NICMS/OFS.
• An amendment has been introduced to the nominated Authorised Person’s
level of authority to allow that person to amend maps on behalf of the
claimant.
• Section heading changed from ‘Data Disclosure’ to read ‘Personal Data Privacy Notice’. See Point 11 below.
Most of the other changes are minor and are unlikely to have any significant impact
upon your claim(s) to area-based schemes this year.
2.
Pre-populated 2014 Field Data Sheet
A number of changes have been applied to the Field Data Sheet for 2014.
• Column D, Land Status has been listed in Owned, Conacre and Leased
(OCL) order. If you did not record this information on your 2013 SAF, these
fields will be shown at the end of your Field Data Sheet. This is not the same
order as your Field Information Table which lists fields in Farm Survey and
Field Number.
• In 2013, Column H recorded the ‘Eligible Area of Field Used’. This column
has been removed for 2014. If you have more than one eligible use in a field,
record the land use in Column G and the corresponding area in Column H
(SFP) or Column I (LFACA).
• The 2014 Single Application is being pre-populated with more information
this year than was possible in 2013, but details of common land have not
been included.
The Maximum Eligible Area (MEA) for the Single Farm payment held on the Land
Parcel Identification System (LPIS) has been used to pre-populate column F of your
Field Data Sheet. Columns H for SFP and I for LFACA have also been pre-populated
using your 2013 verified claim information as determined by the Department.
2
3
There may be circumstances where the pre-populated MEA is lower than the area you
claimed in 2013. These fields should be highlighed on your Field Data Sheet.
You need to review this information carefully to make sure you claim the correct MEA.
If you are unsure, contact your local DARD Direct office who will be able to advise you.
It is important that you do not assume that you should claim the MEA. The MEA is
our assessment of the eligible area but you need to check whether there are any other
ineligible areas that we have not identified. It is possible that the Department’s
assessment of the MEA is incorrect. This can happen because things have changed
on the ground since the photograph on which the map is based was taken, or
because we may have wrongly interpreted the photograph. If you claim for these
ineligible areas, and we find these at inspection, your payment is likely to be delayed
and, depending on the results of our investigations, your claim may be reduced and
you may be penalised.
If you think the MEA is too low, you should correct it, but you should be careful not to
claim more than the MEA without good reason. If you increase the MEA beyond what
is eligible to claim, it could lead to significant penalties in some circumstances.
• if you made changes to your map during 2013, or
• if your map has changed as a result of another farmer’s changes impacting on
your map, or
• if you have had an on-the-spot (OTS) land eligibility check .
Where this is the case, you should have already received a 2014 Scheme map and Field
Information Table by now.
Further information on how to view your map online is at Section 3 of this Guide.
Further information on your 2014 scheme map, MEA and notifying changes is at
Section 6 of this Guide.
4.
‘850’ and ‘870’ field numbers
It is very important that you check all the pre-populated information is correct
particularly the areas you are claiming at columns H and I. If you do not make any
amendments we will use this information for your 2014 claim. If we later find out that
the eligible area you claim is incorrect, you may be penalised.
As part of its earlier work on reviewing scheme maps, DARD merged fields which did
not appear to be separated by a physical boundary on the ground. These fields were
numbered as ‘850’ or ‘870’ fields. The creation of both ‘850’ and ‘870’ fields following
merges was necessary to explain what DARD had done and why it had been done as
well as to explain the options available for claimants. Whilst these numbers have been
retained for the 2014 claim, in most cases, they no longer signify that fields have been
recently merged.
Further information on the MEA is at Section 6 of this Guide.
Further information on ‘850’ and ‘870’ field numbers is at Section 7 of this Guide.
3.
5.
Maps to support the 2014 Single Application
DARD’s mapping system, LPIS, has created new maps for every farm business based
on 2013 declarations, with the exception of common land, and these can be viewed
online, with a new map service, called eMap. This will
• display the most up-to-date version of your map,
• allow you to print your map,
• enable you to zoom in to examine fields,
• enable you to measure areas and distances for fields and features, and
• allow map change requests to be submitted online.
Review of common land
The Field Data Sheet will not be pre-populated for common land.
We have recently carried out an assessment of common land to ensure that the
information we hold is compliant with EU rules for area-based schemes. Our work
assessed the detail shown on the most recent aerial photography available to us. Both
the boundaries and the ineligible features were considered, and changes have been made
where necessary. This information has been used to calculate the MEA for the common.
If you are not a shareholder, but claimed common land in 2013, we will write to you
separately with advice on claiming common land in 2014.
We will not send you new maps if there were no changes made during 2013, but
the new mapping data will be available online in March.
If, according to our records, you are a shareholder on any common, you should have
recently received a letter outlining the changes made following an assessment of this
common.
For the 2014 Single Application, scheme maps and Field Information Tables containing
all the fields declared on your 2013 SAF, will only be posted to claimants in the
following circumstances:
The letter showed your share of the MEA of the common and this share of the MEA
should be used to complete your SAF. If you have reported changes to us, you should
use this revised MEA to complete your SAF.
• where the MEA of a field has been altered by the LPIS ongoing map review
process, or
4
Further information on ‘Common land and the MEA’ is at Section 6 of this Guide.
This includes information on how to complete your Field Data Sheet if you are claiming
common land.
5
6.
Information for applicants’ who had a 2013 On-the-Spot (OTS) check
If your farm business had an on-the-spot (OTS) check in 2013, you will have
received an inspection report providing you with details of the eligible area for each
field found at the OTS check - this is shown in the inspection report as the ‘OTSC’.
The eligible usage code and the ‘Usage Area’ are shown alongside it.
You should take particular care when completing your 2014 Field Data Sheet as the
pre-populated data may not be up-to-date. You may also notice that the usage area
and the MEA may not be the same. If they differ, this may be due to the presence of
temporary ineligible features or ineligible features which are less than 0.01ha which
are not included in the MEA calculation.
You are strongly advised to use the areas shown on the inspection report when
completing areas claimed for SFP (column H) and/or LFACA (column I) on your
2014 Field Data Sheet, unless these areas have changed since the OTS check
last year.
Do not claim more than the area shown on the inspection report or increase the
MEA on your Field Data Sheet unless you can provide a good reason for doing so,
for example, if you have removed some scrub from a field.
7.
2014 Scaleback of SFP entitlements
The EU has introduced some transitional provisions in 2014 until CAP reform is
implemented in 2015.
Under these transitional arrangements, we have to reduce the unit face value of all
SFP entitlements held in 2014. The reduction is estimated to be 9.25%, but the
precise reduction will be confirmed later in 2014.
This reduction is necessary as a result of reductions in the EU Budget and the
permanent transfer of what was previously compulsory modulation to rural
development.
Further information can be found at
http://www.dardni.gov.uk/index/grants-and-funding/area-based-landschemes/single-farm-payment/sfp-faqs/2014-scaleback-faqs.htm
We will write to you when the reduction has been confirmed to notify you of the new
unit value of your SFP entitlements.
8.
Modulation
9.
Land ownership
DARD no longer holds information on land ownership on its LPIS mapping system.
LPIS contains information on fields declared for CAP subsidy, for example SFP. The
LPIS maps are based on what was declared by farm businesses on the SAF in the
previous scheme year and can include fields that are owned, leased or subject to a
conacre agreement with another farm business.
Land registry maintained by Land & Property Services will continue to hold the
most up to date information on land ownership.
Further advice on landownership and maps is at Section 6 of this Guide.
10.
Cross-Compliance
A number of changes were made to the Cross-Compliance Verifiable Standards with
effect from 1 January 2014. You were sent a letter in January 2014 which set out
these changes and it is important that you read this letter carefully.
The changes have been incorporated into the Cross-Compliance Verifiable
Standards Summary (revised January 2014) document and the Cross-Compliance
Verifiable Standards (Full Version) document.
A copy of all these documents can be viewed at
http://www.dardni.gov.uk/index/grants-and-funding/cross-compliance/crosscompliance-verifiable-standards.htm
11.
Personal data disclosure
The European Commission is introducing new legislation in 2014 that will change the
way Member States publish details of the amounts paid to CAP beneficiaries
(claimants). Indications (as at early December 2013) are that payments will be
published for all beneficiaries in receipt of more than €1,250 per annum. Relevant
details will be put on a searchable website to include the business name, locality
(nearest town) of the beneficiary with details of the amounts and schemes for which
grant was paid. Beneficiaries receiving less than €1,250 per annum will not have
their name published.
To comply with these EC regulatory needs, from 30 April 2015 we intend to start
publishing details of payments made between 16 October 2013 and 15 October
2014.
Further details will be issued before publication.
For 2014, there will be no voluntary or compulsory modulation deducted from
SFP payments.
6
7
Section 3
How to complete your 2014 online application
Introduction
We would encourage you to make an online application if you possibly can.
Online applications mean faster payments.
Our Single Application online service is
• At the first screen presented, click ‘LOGIN’ and enter your Government
Gateway User ID and password.
• After you have done that, the screen shown below will be displayed. From
the list of “Services” provided, select ‘SAF Online’ to start your application.
It’s as simple as that to get going. However, if you need any help when you get to
this stage, please phone us on 0300 200 7848.
• fast and efficient;
• safe and secure;
• easy to use;
• likely to reduce mistakes in your claim;
• designed to highlight errors, which could potentially delay payments with a
traditional paper claim; and
• available at any time of the day or night during the application period.
Unlike the paper application, which presents field information for your farm business
as known to the Department at a fixed point in time, the online system is updated
with more current information. So, as you complete your application online, your
claim(s) will be validated against the latest field information we hold on our land
database, LPIS.
What you need to complete your application online
You will need a Government Gateway ID and password. If you don’t already have
these, you should phone our online services team on 028 9442 6699 or text EASY to
66101 or go to www.dardni.gov.uk/onlineservices
It is important that you apply for your Government Gateway ID and password well in
advance of the closing date for the receipt of Single Applications on 15 May 2014.
You’ll not be able to access our online services, including the Single Application
online facility, without them.
Once you’ve been given your ID and password, you can use our full range of online
services including the Single Application online service (SAF online), which will let
you track the progress of your application, even if you didn’t submit it online. If
you’ve nominated an authorised person to act on your behalf, he/she may also track
your claim to SFP. However, to use this particular service, your authorised person
must be registered with the Government Gateway as an agent.
How to use the online service
If you already have your Government Gateway ID and password, just go to
www.dardni.gov.uk/online-services
8
Checks on online applications
We want to avoid any unnecessary delays to making payments on your claims. For
that reason, our online service is designed to alert you when we need you to check a
particular part of your application.
If we think you have provided field information, which may not currently match the
information we hold, you’ll see a message displayed in red text on the screen.
‘Warning’ message
If this is displayed as a ‘warning’, we are telling you that there is something you
should check or that you may need to do. In such circumstances, you can still
submit your application, but we are asking you to confirm that you are satisfied with
the accuracy and currency of specific information you are providing. We may still
need to check with you after we have received your application.
9
For example, If you claim (activate) an area of any given field, which is more than the
MEA, as known to us, you will be presented with a warning message. In this case,
you may choose to disregard the warning and continue to submit your application.
However, you will be advised to complete and submit a LPIS Correction form to
account for the difference and explain why you are claiming more than the MEA.
Instant acknowledgement of online applications
Finally, if you submit your Single Application online, you’ll receive an instant
acknowledgement and you’ll also get a summary of your claim(s).
This means that there is:
We may have to penalise you if you do not take this action to explain why you
have claimed more than the MEA.
• no need to queue at a DARD Direct office to hand in your application form,
and
Therefore, if you are activating more than the MEA for any given field, your payment
could be delayed if you do not report the change to allow the information to be
verified by us. Similarly, you will receive a warning if you claim for a field which is not
known to us at the time of application.
• no need to worry for a week or two waiting for a paper acknowledgement
letter in the post.
However, please keep your online receipt until you’ve got your payment. If there is a
dispute about your application, we’ll ask you to provide it.
‘Error’ message
If you are presented with an ‘error’ message, you’ll need to take corrective action
straightaway. You will not be allowed to submit your application online until you have
taken the necessary action and the ‘error’ highlighted has been cleared.
For example, an error message will be presented if you fail to provide a response to
the question asking if you are claiming SFP. In this instance, you must reply by
selecting either ‘Yes’ or ‘No’.
Online maps (eMap)
You can view the new map online service called eMap, just as you can access your
Single Application online. To do this, you will need a Government Gateway ID and
password as mentioned above.
eMap will provide the latest map of the 2013 scheme year, with the exception of
common land, and includes features that will enable you to
• zoom in to examine fields,
• print your map, and
• measure distances and areas of fields and ineligible areas, and allow map
change requests to be submitted online.
10
11
Section 4
Information relevant to online and paper applications
Further information on ‘870’ fields is at Section 7 of this Guide.
Agricultural land you need to include on your Field Data Sheet
Nitrates Action Programme
You have to declare all the agricultural land that you use as
You must also declare all land farmed, including owned, taken in conacre or leased,
which is to be used, or likely to be used, for the purposes of compliance with the
Nitrates Action Programme Regulations.
(i) owned,
(ii) taken in conacre,
(iii) leased in,
even if you are not claiming payment for that land or you consider that the land
is not eligible for SFP.
If you do not declare all the agricultural land you use; you may be subject to a nondeclaration penalty. If you are still farming the fields shown on the maps we have
sent you, you must declare them all on your 2014 SAF otherwise we will consider
applying non-declaration penalties.
Land in conacre or leased
If you are taking land in conacre or leasing land but, for whatever reason, you are not
claiming for that land, it must be included at columns A - F of your Field Data Sheet
as it is still considered part of your holding.
Any land you are no longer taking in conacre or leasing should be removed
from your Field Data Sheet. You do not need to complete a LPIS Correction
form for removing conacre / leased fields from your claim.
Make sure that any land taken as conacre (C) and in lease (L) on your Field Data
Sheet is listed correctly as this will affect eligibility for NICMS and OFS. Land taken
in conacre (C) is not eligible for NICMS and OFS.
If you are leasing land to another farm business we recommend that you seek legal
advice when drawing up the terms of the lease.
The Category 1 farm business claiming SFP and/or LFACA, NICMS or OFS on the
land is responsible, in the first instance, for ensuring that all Cross-Compliance
requirements for that land are met. If you are the SFP and/or LFACA, NICMS or OFS
claimant and the Cross-Compliance requirements are breached, your payment(s)
may be reduced.
If you have not caused the breach, it will be up to you, as the claimant, to provide
satisfactory evidence that the breach has been caused by another party. If you are
the other party and you are also an SFP and/or LFACA, NICMS or OFS claimant,
then your payment(s) may be penalised in respect of the breach and, if appropriate,
for failing to declare the land.
If you have entered into a written agreement with another party, for example, a
Nitrates Action Programme Controller Agreement, to take control of the land for
nitrates purposes, you and the other party, if they are a Category 1 farm business,
need to declare that land on your Field Data Sheet at Columns A - E. This
declaration does not give rise to a duplicate claim as this only occurs when both
parties claim payment for the same scheme on the same land.
If you have any queries relating to the Nitrates Action Programme (NAP) Regulations,
you should contact, either, the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) (028
9262 3184) or your local Countryside Management Delivery Branch Advisor (0300
200 7842). You should also refer to the Nitrates Action Programme and Phosphorous
Regulations Guidance Booklet.
This can be found on the DARD website at
You should also consider if a written conacre licence agreement is needed where
there are dual use claims, that is, where an individual claims SFP in respect of a field
on which a second individual simultaneously claims LFACA.
http://www.dardni.gov.uk/nitrates_action_programme_20112014_guidance_booklet.pdf
Further information on dual use claims is at Section 9 of this Guide.
Woodland and forest
Previously identified shared grazing
The following woodland and forest is regarded as agricultural land and must be
declared at columns A - E of your Field Data Sheet if:
The majority of fields which were previously considered to be shared grazing fields
have been numbered 870 if there was no physical boundary between them. You will
only be permitted to claim a field where there is a clear boundary. More than one
claimant sharing a field (that is multiple claimants) for the same scheme will not be
permitted, except in the context of common land parcels.
12
• it is being grazed;
• there are fewer than 50 trees per hectare and it's capable of being grazed;
• it is short rotation coppice; or
• it is in a Woodland Grant Scheme, Farm Woodland Premium Scheme,
Agri-environment Scheme or a Sustainable Forest Operation Grant Scheme.
13
This type of land is counted as agricultural land even if it is not eligible for SFP.
As a result, it is also subject to Cross-Compliance requirements.
Common land
Areas used in common come about because legally a certain group of people (that
is graziers) have the right to graze an area of land and therefore they have to be
allocated notional shares. We view common land as commons under the 1903 Irish
Land Act, commons under the 1925 Church and Temperance Act, commons that are
privately owned with grazing rights and areas used by agreement where there is no
clear legal ownership.
We have recently carried out an assessment of common land to ensure that the
information we hold is compliant with EU rules for area-based schemes and to
provide a maximum eligible area (MEA). As a result, common land will not have been
pre-populated on the Field Data Sheet or shown on your map
Further advice on claiming common land in 2014 is at Section 6 of this Guide.
Checking and completing your Field Data Sheet
Step 1- Review the fields that have been pre-populated.
The fields pre-populated on your Field Data Sheet will not normally be listed in the
same order as the Field Information Table.
The Field Data Sheet will list owned fields first, followed by conacre fields and then
leased fields, whereas fields in the Field Information Table will appear by farm survey
and field number order, irrespective of whether they are owned, conacre or leased.
Check that all the fields that are part of your holding have been included and the field
details are correct. All the agricultural land on your holding should be declared at
columns A - F, even if you are not claiming for that land. You must also declare all land
farmed, including owned, taken in conacre or leased, which is to be used, or likely to
be used, for the purposes of compliance with the Nitrates Action Programme
Regulations.
• Delete fields that have been pre-populated and are not part of your holding.
• Delete fields you are no longer taking in conacre/leased.
• Add fields that are part of your holding, and have not been pre-printed.
Have you an unresolved query with your 2013 application?
The pre-populated information will not include any fields where there is an
outstanding query from 2013, for example, if the field does not exist on LPIS or if
there was a duplicate field query which has not yet been resolved. This will not be
pre-populated on the Field Data Sheet of both businesses that claimed the field in
2013.
SFP Branch will also be issuing a ‘Fields not Printed’ letter to those farmers where
an unresolved duplicate field exists on their application.
The farmer who has the right to claim should include the field on their 2014 Field
Data Sheet.
The farmer who does not have the right to claim should ensure that the field is not
included on their 2014 Field Data Sheet.
If you require further clarification on the information given in this Section please
contact your local DARD Direct office on 0300 200 7848.
You should ensure that all the businesses involved agree who should claim this
field in 2014 and avoid a further duplicate field situation.
• Add fields that you are taking in conacre/leased that are not shown on the
Field Data Sheet.
Step 2- Check the Maximum Eligible Area (MEA).
Make sure you agree the MEA for each field, or the area of a common you are using to
support your claim, is correct. The MEA is our assessment of the maximum area that
you can use to claim SFP and LFACA in each field and is based on the boundary
features and ineligible features that we have shown on your most recent map.
To calculate the MEA we have only taken account of the ineligible features listed at
Annex 1 of this Guide that we can see on the aerial photography used to produce your
map.
For example, we will have deducted hard ineligible features such as buildings and
ineligible boundaries greater than 0.01ha but we will not have deducted any ineligible
features (vegetation, rock, trees and water) in your fields less than 0.1ha. The
exception to this is if you have had a 2013 OTS check where ineligible areas above
0.01ha have been deducted. In these cases you should use your inspection results to
complete your Field Data Sheet, in line with the advice given in Section 2 of this Guide.
It is possible that the Department’s assessment of the MEA is incorrect. This can
happen when things have changed on the ground since the photograph on which
the map is based was taken, or because we have wrongly interpreted the
photograph. We would want you to correct it where that is the case, but you
should be careful not to claim more than the MEA without good reason, as if you
increase the MEA beyond what is eligible to claim, it could lead to significant
penalties in some circumstances.
14
15
Remember, it is not enough to score a line through the Field Data Sheet line to
correct the MEA.
You MUST complete and return a LPIS Correction form which you get from your
local DARD Direct office or you can download from the DARD website at
http://www.dardni.gov.uk/index/grants-and-funding/farm-maps/mapssupporting-2014-single-application-process.htm
Further information on the MEA and what to do if you think the MEA is
incorrect is at Section 6 of this Guide.
Step 5- Complete column I for LFACA
Complete column I to claim LFACA on a particular field. You should record the
eligible area you are claiming. The area you record in this column should not be
more than the MEA at column F. The only exception to this is if you have told us
about a change to the MEA using a LPIS Correction form at Step 2 above
Make sure you exclude any small ineligible areas which may not have been removed
from your map and which may still be included in MEA. Also, exclude any areas
within the MEA which are not eligible crop groups for LFACA.
Once you have checked and completed your Field Data Sheet, the total eligible
land claimed in columns H and/or I can be used to complete your SAF 1
Step 3- Record the eligible land use code.
For each field you want to claim for SFP or LFACA, record the eligible land use in
column G. This area should not be greater than the MEA unless you have notified us
of a change at step 2 above.
It is important that you do not assume that you should claim the printed MEA. You
need to check whether there are any other ineligible areas that we have not
identified. If you claim for these ineligible areas, and we find these at inspection,
your payment is likely to be delayed and, depending on the results of our
investigations, your claim will be reduced and you may be penalised.
Further advice on getting your Field Data Sheet right is at page 72 of this guide.
Checking and completing your SAF 1
If you are a NEW Farm Business, you need to be registered with us before your
Single Application can be processed. You need to complete an FB 1 application for
a DARD Business Identifier, if you have not already done so. Completing a FB1 and
providing all the necessary documentation can take time, so do so early if you want
to claim in 2014.
You can download a FB 1 form from the DARD website at
You only need to record eligible land use from the list at Section13.
www.dardni.gov.uk/index/grants-and-funding/dard-ids.htm
Detailed information on eligible land can be found in the 2013 ‘Guide to Land
Eligibility’ booklet on DARD’s website at
www.dardni.gov.uk/grants-and-funding
or contact your local DARD Direct office.
Step 4- Complete column H for SFP.
Complete column H to claim SFP on a particular field. You should record the eligible
area you are claiming to activate your SFP entitlements. The area you record in this
column should not be more than the MEA at column F.
The only exception to this is if you have told us about a change to the MEA using a
LPIS Correction form at step 2 above or the Department has told you of a change to
the MEA and this isn’t reflected on your Field Data Sheet, for example because of an
OTS check. If you record an area greater than the MEA, your claim for SFP may be
delayed while the difference is investigated.
If you are an existing farm business, your business details are pre-printed on the
Single Application Form from our existing records. If any of the business details
shown are incorrect or you want to change the information we hold about your farm
business you should complete a Business Change form (BC1). You should not
amend the details shown on your SAF.
If you need to change the information, you can download a BC 1 form from the
DARD website at
http://www.dardni.gov.uk/index/grants-and-funding/area-based-landschemes/single-farm-payments/sfp-forms.htm
or get one from your local DARD Direct office or from the Business Change Section
in Orchard House. You should complete and return the BC1 with your 2014 SAF.
Make sure you exclude any small ineligible areas which may not have been removed
from your map and may still be included in your MEA.
If the field has more than one eligible land use, you should record each eligible use
on a separate line. The total of these areas should not be greater than the MEA at
column F unless you have notified us of a change at step 2 above.
16
17
SAF 1 Section 1 - Claiming Single Farm Payment (SFP) Entitlements
Activation of SFP Entitlements
You must complete Section 1 of the SAF 1 to activate your entitlements and claim
SFP. It is your responsibility to activate your entitlements by submitting an
application. We do not issue a reminder if we do not receive an application from you.
If you do not claim your SFP you may lose your payment entitlements as these must
be activated for payment at least once every two years. We will rotate your
entitlements to ensure they are used at least once every two years, unless you tell us
exactly which entitlements you want to activate.
Example
If you hold 20 entitlements and claimed 11 in 2012 and 11 in 2013, you will still hold
20 entitlements in 2014 as we will have rotated the entitlements to ensure they have
been used at least once every two years, unless you have told us otherwise.
Further information on the order of activating entitlements is at Section 10 of
this Guide.
The Department reserves the right to make adjustments to the number and type of
entitlements you hold, or to confiscate entitlements, should this be required under
scheme rules.
If there is no information pre-printed, you should have recently received an
entitlement statement from us. You should use this statement to complete this
question if you are not activating all of your entitlements. If you have not received a
statement, you should contact Entitlements Section, SFP Branch in Orchard
House immediately.
If you have recently applied to trade entitlements the information pre-printed
on your form may not be up-to-date. If your trading application has been
processed, you should have received a revised entitlement statement from us. You
should use this statement to complete this question if you are not activating all of
your entitlements. If you have not received a statement, you should contact
Trading Section, SFP Branch in Orchard House immediately on Telephone
number 0300 200 7848.
If for any other reason you think the information that has been pre-printed is
incorrect, you should contact SFP Branch in Orchard House immediately.
Note:
To claim Single Farm Payment complete Questions 1 and 2
Question 1
The total area entered at Question 1 should equal the total of column H of your Field
Data Sheet. This should be the total area on which you are claiming SFP. You need
to declare an equivalent area of eligible land for each SFP entitlement, or part of
entitlement that you hold.
Question 2
The information shown on the table at Question 2 is taken from our records and
shows the number and type of entitlements you held at 31 January 2014.
• You can only activate the number of entitlements for which you have eligible
hectares at your disposal on 15 May 2014.
• For all agricultural land declared on your application, you are responsible for
ensuring that Cross-Compliance rules are respected and the land on which
SFP is claimed, remains in an eligible use for the entire calendar year.
• We will activate your entitlements up to the limit you have given on your
form. For example, if you hold 20 entitlements but only declare 19 ha of SFP
eligible land on your Field Data Sheet, we can only pay you on 19
entitlements.
Put an ‘X’ in the ‘Yes’ box if you want to activate ALL of your SFP entitlements;
SAF 1 Section 2 - Other Aid Schemes
or
If you are submitting a paper application, do not enter or write anything on these
pages if you are not claiming. The boxes should be left blank.
If you do not want to activate all of your entitlements you should put an ‘X’ in the
‘No’ box and enter the number of Standard and/or Special entitlements that you
want to activate in column D of the table.
If the entitlements you want to activate as recorded in column D are of different
values, you will need to tell us exactly which ones you want us to activate. To do
this, please download a Single Farm Payment Entitlement Declaration Form from the
Department’s website or obtain one from a DARD Direct office. Complete and return
the form along with your SAF on or before 15 May 2014. If you do not, we will
activate your entitlements in the order shown in Section 10 of this Guide.
18
19
Less Favoured Area Compensatory Allowances (LFACA) 2015
SAF 1 Section 3 - Regional Information
To claim LFACA 2015, complete Questions 3, 3.1 & 3.2
Question 6
Eligible area
Only complete this question if you currently farm in another region of the UK and you
manage that farm as part of the same farm business you are claiming for in Northern
Ireland.
You must enter the number of hectares that you want to claim for LFACA at Question
3. This should equal the total of Column I of your Field Data Sheet.
Eligible stock
3.1
3.2
You must mark an ‘X’ in the relevant boxes to show the type of stock you will
keep during the 7 months qualifying period, that is from 1 April 2014 to 31
October 2014.
If you are using breeding ewes, female deer and/or female goats to meet
stocking density requirements, you also need to provide the total number of
these animals on your holding at the date of application.
If you are not claiming for LFACA 2015, go to Agri-environment Schemes (NICMS
and OFS).
You should mark an ‘X’ to indicate the region(s) that apply to you. If you claimed land
in another region in 2013, you will also receive a 2014 application pack from that
region of the UK. If you do not receive it you should contact SFP Branch in Orchard
House.
If you are submitting a paper application, do not cross through or write anything if
you only farm in Northern Ireland. Go to Section 4.
SAF 1 Section 4 - Cross-Compliance
Question 7
If some of your land is in a Special Area of Conservation, mark ‘X’ in the ‘YES’ box. If
some of your land is in a Special Protection Area, mark ‘X’ in the ‘YES’ box.
Agri-environment Schemes (NICMS and OFS)
If neither of the above statements are true, mark ‘X’ in the ‘NO’ boxes.
To claim NICMS and/or OFS complete Questions 4 and/or 5.
If you are unsure whether some of your land is in a Special Area of Conservation,
telephone the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) on 02890 569 684 for
advice.
If your agreement started before 31 December 2007, you do not need to
complete a Single Application to claim payment for an Agri-environment
Scheme.
You should only complete Question 4 and/or 5 if your NICMS or OFS agreement
started on or after 1 January 2009.
If you tick the ‘YES’ box for Question 4 and/or 5 you will be provided with the
second stage claim form for NICMS and/or OFS at a later date.
If you tick ‘NO’ to Question 4 or make no response you will not receive a second
stage claim form for NICMS.
If you tick ‘NO’ to question 5 or make no response you will not receive a second
stage claim form for OFS.
NICMS and/or OFS agreement holders should retain a copy of their completed
Single Application Form for reference when completing their second stage
NICMS/OFS claim form.
Further information on land claimed for SFP under a NIEA designated site is at
Section 10 of this Guide.
Question 8
If you are carrying out, or intend to carry out, disposal of waste pesticides or their
washings on some of your land, mark ‘X’ in the ‘YES’ box. Please note that disposal
does NOT include spraying washings back onto the target crop or reusing them
during the next application. If you are disposing of, or intend to dispose of, waste
sheep dip on some of your land, mark ‘X’ in the ‘YES’ box.
If neither of the above statements are true, mark ‘X’ in the ‘NO’ box.
Question 9a
If you are spreading, or intend to spread or allow someone else to spread, sludge
from a septic tank on some of your land, mark ‘X’ in the ‘YES’ box, otherwise mark
‘X’ in the ‘NO’ box.
20
21
Question 9b
SAF 1 Section 6 - Agricultural Waste Authorisations
If you have spread in the last 5 years, or it is your intention to spread or allow
someone else to spread sewage sludge on any land within your farm business, mark
‘X’ in the ‘YES’ box, otherwise mark ‘X’ in the ‘NO’ box.
Questions 11, 12 and 13
Before disposing of waste biocides (including pesticides such as waste sheep dip)
or plant protection products or their washings, you must obtain a Ground Water
Authorisation from the Northern Ireland Environment Agency and comply with the
conditions of that authorisation.
The NIEA is responsible for the Registration of Agricultural Waste Authorisations not DARD.
The information you provide at Questions 11, 12 and 13 will be passed to the NIEA.
See contact details at Section 14.
They will treat illegible or indeterminate entries as being invalid and you will not be
registered to undertake these activities or to transport waste. You run the risk of
enforcement action if you proceed without the relevant registration.
SAF 1 Section 5 - Payment in Euro (SFP)
For further information telephone NIEA direct on 028 9056 9360 or visit the NIEA
website at http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/waste-home/waste-guidance.htm
Question 10
If you are submitting a paper application, do not cross through or write anything
in this Section if you want to be paid in sterling. Payments will automatically be
paid in sterling and will be made electronically into your bank, building society or
credit union account unless you tell us you want to be paid in euro.
You must tell us by marking an ‘X’ in the box at Question 10 if you want to be paid in
euro. You must have a separate UK euro bank account. Contact Systems
Management Section, Orchard House on (028) 7129 9074 for a UK euro BACS form.
You must complete this question if you want to be paid in euro in 2014, even if you
were paid in euro last year.
• We will not accept requests for payment in euro if there is an outstanding
debt or penalty to be recovered in respect of previous applications.
• The same sterling or euro bank account cannot be used by more than one
farm business.
• If you mark an ‘X’ in the box at Question 10 and you have not supplied us
with your UK euro bank account details, your claim will not be paid until you
do.
For further information on payment of SFP in euro, visit the ‘How Payments are
Made’ Section of the DARD website at
http://www.dardni.gov.uk/print/index/grants-and-funding/grants-and-fundingbacs.htm
22
SAF 1 Section 7 - Declarations and Undertakings
Declarations for online applications are accepted via Government Gateway ID
with a recognised and verified e-mail address.
SAF 1 Section 8 - Personal Data - Privacy Notice
Section 8 advises you that we can use the information on your form for legitimate
purposes in line with the Data Protection Act 1998, Freedom of Information Act 2000
and Environmental Information Regulations 2004.
Legislation to be introduced by the European Commission in 2014 will change the
way Members States are required to publish details of the amounts paid to CAP
claimants. This is explained at Section 8 of the SAF 1 and at Section 2 of this Guide
SAF 1 Section 9 - DARD Publications
We will use your contact details, as supplied on your application form, to keep you
up to date about a range of Agriculture and Rural Development issues, which may
be of interest to you.
If you DO NOT want your contact details used for such purposes, you will need to
put an ‘X’ in the box at Section 9, otherwise we will automatically include you on our
mailing list. If you wish to receive information by e-mail, you should include your
e-mail address on page 1 of your Single Application.
23
SAF 1 Section 10 - Nomination of an Authorised Person
Section 5
If you want to authorise another person to act on your behalf in relation to the
processing of your claim you MUST complete Section 10.
Introduction
You can only select one level of authority by putting an ‘X’ in the relevant box at
Section 10 (b).
The levels of authority are explained on the SAF 1 and at Section 11 of this Guide.
How to complete your 2014 paper application
While we strongly recommend you complete your application online, should
you decide to complete a paper application, we recommend that you complete
the Field Data Sheet part of your application first.
You need to complete your paper application very carefully. If you are not sure what
you need to do, contact your local DARD Direct Office, your farming union
representative or agricultural consultant for advice.
Apart from online applications, we will only accept an original version of the 2014
SAF1 and Field Data Sheet. We will not accept photocopies or forms which have
been downloaded from our website.
• Use black ink and write clearly inside the boxes. If your form is not legible,
it could delay the processing of your application.
• Do not use correction fluid. If you need to make a change, cross out and
initial the original entry and enter the amendment.
• Sign your completed SAF1 and each Field Data Sheet.
Contact the Department at Orchard House if you do not receive an acknowledgment
letter within 3 weeks of posting your application.
See Section 14 for contact details.
Before you start to complete your paper application
At Section 2 we explained the circumstances in which 2014 scheme maps and Field
Information Tables would be issued. If you were due to receive a map and Field
Information Table you should have received them by now and they will reflect
changes that were made in 2013.
If you did not make any changes to your map during 2013, we would encourage you
to view your map online. You can also use your 2013 scheme map and Field
Information Table if you are content that no changes were made in 2013.
For details of how to view your map online go to Section 3 of this Guide.
If you need a replacement map, Field Information Table or guide, these are available
online or on request from your local DARD Direct office on 0300 200 7843.
24
25
Completing your paper Field Data Sheet
The information set out in Section 4 advises how to complete your Field Data Sheet
online and paper application. You should refer to this Section to help you complete
your paper Field Data Sheet.
When filling out the (X) boxes please make sure that the (X) covers the full size of the
box provided. Please also ensure that the (X) remains inside the box. The examples
below show how NOT to complete these sections.
Completing your paper SAF 1
The information in Section 4 advises how to complete both online and paper
applications.
The following information is for paper applications only.
Make sure that all writing is legible and within the spaces provided. SAFs are
electronically read (scanned) and if your application is not completed legibly, this
may cause problems.
The example below shows the type of mistakes you should avoid.
The barcode is a very important part of the SAF. Please do not mark or attach
anything to this part of the application. The example below shows the type of error
that may cause problems at the scanning stage
The 2014 SAF includes information required for different schemes. Some of these
schemes may not be relevant to you. If so, you should not cross through or write
anything on these pages. They should be left blank. The example below shows how
NOT to complete these sections.
26
27
SAF 1 Section 7 - Declarations and Undertakings
Section 6
If your paper application is not signed it will not be accepted.
Maps
Parents/Legal Guardians: We will only accept Single Applications from persons
under the age of 18 if the SAF 1 is authorised by a parent or legal guardian. By doing
so, the parent or legal guardian accepts the risks, responsibilities and obligations
associated with the business and the relevant schemes covered by the Single
Application, including any breach of scheme rules. Make sure that you have your
application signed by a parent or legal guardian at Section 8 if you are under
18.
At Section 2 of this Guide we explained the circumstances under which maps would
be posted to claimants to support the 2014 Single Application.
We cannot make the Single Application payment into a bank account in the name of
the person who is under 18. Where a legal guardian or parent is taking responsibility
for the business, the bank account should be in the name of that person or in the
name of the business.
Companies: If you are a company, an authorised signatory may apply on behalf of
the company as long as the director has given written authorisation for this. Make
sure that Section 8 of your application is signed by at least one of the company
directors.
Partnerships: If you are a partnership, one of the partners may apply on behalf of
the partnership as long as the other partners have given written authorisation for
this. Make sure that Section 8 has been signed by an authorised partner.
If the joint business is in the name of Mr. and Mrs. either party can sign.
Maps, Maximum Eligible Area (MEA) and notifying changes
If you are not getting a revised map, we strongly recommend that you view
your fields online. This will ensure that you are using the most up-to-date
information available to you.
If you do not use the online map viewer and you are absolutely sure nothing has
changed in your fields, you can use your 2013 scheme map and Field Information
Table that was issued to you to complete last year’s application. If you are still
declaring the same fields and eligible areas, there will be no change to your map
from last year - unless there are ineligible areas you need to tell us about.
Landownership and maps
DARD no longer holds information on land ownership on its LPIS mapping system.
The Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) contains information on fields declared
for CAP subsidy, for example SFP.
However, there are times when DARD may ask a farm business for evidence of the
control of land (through ownership, lease etc.).
For example:
• When establishing a new business ID the applicant will be asked for
evidence that they own or lease land.
• Agri-environment schemes - these are multi-annual schemes and the
applicant/claimant will need to show that they have control of the land for
the duration of the agreements (land taken in conacre is not eligible).
• Disputes involving dual claims, that is, two farm businesses claiming
different subsidies for the same field(s). Land ownership and leases can be
used as evidence.
• Duplicate field claims, that is, two or more businesses claiming the same
subsidy for the same field(s). Again, land ownership and leases can be used
as evidence.
• To add fields which do not already exist on the LPIS.
In these above cases the information on the control of land (owned or leased) is for a
specific purpose - it is not to enable us to produce maps showing land ownership.
28
29
Maximum eligible area (MEA)
The MEA is our assessment of the maximum area that you can use to claim SFP and
LFACA in each field and is based on the boundary features and ineligible features
that we have shown on your map.
To avoid validation errors that may delay the processing of your 2014 claim, it is
important that the MEA held on our mapping system is correct.
The most important things for you to remember are:
• It is possible that the Department’s assessment of the MEA is
incorrect. We want you to correct it where that is the case.
• You should not claim a larger area than the MEA at column F on the
Field Data Sheet, unless you are very sure that this area is wrong and
you have already completed and sent us a LPIS Correction form to tell
us about the changes that are needed.
• If you have submitted a LPIS Correction form and you know that the
MEA is different from the one printed on your Field Data Sheet, you
should claim the correct MEA that you submitted.
You need to use a LPIS Correction form to tell us about changes to field boundaries
and the addition or removal of the types of ineligible features shown at Annex 1 of
this Guide if they are more than 0.01 ha (100m2) in area.
You should send the LPIS Correction form to your local DARD Direct office well in
advance of the 15 May 2014 closing date for receipt of your Single Application.
We will have deducted hard ineligible features such as buildings, and ineligible
boundaries greater than 0.01ha from the MEA shown but, in most cases, we will not
have deducted any ineligible features (vegetation, rock, trees and water) in your
fields less than 0.1ha.
If you have not had an OTS check and there are ineligible features greater than
0.01ha in your field, you will need to complete a LPIS Correction form to tell us.
The following ‘Hectares to Square Metres’ conversion table should assist you with
your calculations
HECTARES
SQUARE METRES
0.01
100
0.02
200
0.03
300
0.04
400
0.05
500
0.06
600
0.07
700
0.08
800
0.09
900
Notifying changes
0.1
1000
What to do if the MEA is incorrect
0.2
2000
If our assessment of the MEA shown in Column F of your Field Data Sheet is
incorrect you should tell us to change the MEA by completing a LPIS Correction
form (available in your 2014 SAF pack) and on the ‘Grants & Funding’ section of
DARD’s website
0.3
3000
0.4
4000
0.5
5000
0.6
6000
http://www.dardni.gov.uk/index/grants-and-funding/farm-maps/mapssupporting-2014-single-application-process.htm
0.7
7000
0.8
8000
0.9
9000
1.0
10000
• If you are completing your application online, you should note the
warning message, but you should still make the claim on the basis of
the correct MEA (see Section 3 online applications).
• You can claim less than the MEA, and you should do so if there are any
other ineligible areas that we have not included on your map. You also
need to make sure you deduct these from the area you claim and send
us a LPIS Correction form to tell us.
30
31
Also, if there are several small separate areas of ineligible features (vegetation, rock,
trees and water) each under 0.01ha but together making up an area of 0.01ha or
greater in an individual field then these smaller ineligible features must also be
deducted from the area you claim at columns H and I of your Field Data Sheet.
You do not need to complete a LPIS Correction form for features less than
0.01ha.
The DARD Helpline telephone number is 0300 200 7852
If you have been inspected in 2013 the Measured Area at inspection should have
taken the smaller ineligible features into account. This area will in most cases be
shown in the pre-populated column H and/or I, but you should take care to check it.
If your farm business has been the subject of an OTS check you will have received
an inspection report providing you with details of the eligible area for each field
found at the OTS check. This is shown in the inspection report as the ‘OTSC’ and
the ‘Usage Area’.
We will not amend your MEA if you score a line through column F of your Field
Data Sheet and write the amended MEA by hand.
If you claim more than the MEA for any field and have not informed DARD of a
mapping change, this will be detected as an error on your claim which will
need to be investigated. This will result in a delay to your payment and if it is
subsequently found that you have claimed ineligible areas, intentional over
declaration penalties may be applied.
Changes to field boundaries after 15 May 2014
If you have changes which affect your MEA after you have submitted your 2014
Single Application, for example, removal of land from agricultural use, which means
that land is no longer eligible for SFP or other schemes, you need to
• Complete a SAF3 and return it to SFP Branch in Orchard House to adjust
your 2014 application; and
• Complete a LPIS Correction form amending the MEA and send it to your
local DARD Direct office.
If you have been told about an OTS land eligibility inspection, or we have notified
you of an error in your application, we will correct your map but you may not receive
an updated map until the next scheme year. Also, we cannot change the part of your
application affected by this error.
Further information on amendments, corrections or withdrawals of Single
Application forms is at Section 11.
You cannot remove a hedge or boundary without permission from DARD. If you wish
to apply to remove a field boundary, you should contact Countryside Management
Development Branch, telephone number 0300 200 7842.
We also take queries via the DARD helpine. These queries can be either relating to
asking permission to remove a hedge or whistle blowing a suspected hedge removal
without permission.
32
The DARD Helpline email is: dardhelpline@dardni.gov.uk
Contact Details can also be found in Section 14 of this Guide.
Areas found at OTS checks
As the inspection report is a more detailed assessment of your land the MEA on the
LPIS map and the ‘Usage Area’ on the inspection report may differ. When
completing your Field Data Sheet it is advised that you use the ‘Usage Area’ shown
on the Inspection Report.
The inspection will have deducted ineligible features in your fields greater than
0.01ha and you should use this information when completing your Field Data Sheet.
If the MEA is greater than the area shown on the inspection report, you should not
increase the area shown on the inspection report unless you have good reason for
so doing. If you do, you should explain why you have done this.
What to do if you have already sent in a LPIS Correction form.
If you have submitted a LPIS Correction form but the MEA has not been reflected on
your Field Data Sheet or on DARD’s online systems, make sure you claim for the
correct area.
You do not need to send in another correction form You should contact DARD Direct
to advise that changes have not yet been made.
We will ensure that all outstanding LPIS Correction forms are processed on our
mapping system as soon as possible. This will ensure that we have the correct MEA
on our systems to accurately validate the areas you claim for SFP and/or LFACA in
2014.
Assessment of common land, and the MEA
As a result of our assessment of common land, an MEA has been established for the
overall common, as it has already been established for other land declared for areabased schemes.
Where boundaries are clearly identifiable from the aerial photography, we have
adjusted them to reflect any physical differences we have found. This may result in a
change to the area of the common in terms of area-based schemes. We have also
33
identified certain features which are ineligible for area-based schemes and
information on the nature and size of these ineligible features has been recorded.
This information, along with the boundary information, has been used to calculate
the MEA.
In order to claim SFP on common land, like any other field, you have to be
undertaking agricultural activity on the common.
This may mean that the size of your share of the common has been adjusted and, if
this has happened, the new share information is presented in the letter to
shareholders on the common. The exception is those commons that are managed
by Trustees where we will give them the full area of the common and the MEA.
If your common land is managed by a Trust, the Trust will provide you with
information on your notional allocation.
If, from the aerial photography, we have identified a boundary which has enclosed
an area within the common, we have split the common into one or more ‘parcels’,
each of which has been given a new ‘900’ number identifier. The size and MEA of
these parcels and the share of the MEA of the parcel is included in the letter to the
shareholder. Some parcels may be below 0.1ha in size, which makes them ineligible
for area-based schemes. However, provided the MEA of any parcel is greater than
0.1ha, you can still claim your share of that parcel, even if the MEA of your share is
less than 0.1ha.
Farm businesses which adjoin common land should be aware that the boundaries of
the adjoining fields may have been altered in the review of commons boundaries.
The Farm Survey Number of common land can be easily recognised as the map
number is always 900 or more, for example, 4/013/902. For the majority of commons
in County Down the area will be allocated each year through Trustees.
It is important that all graziers agree any changes which need to be made. If you are
not satisfied that the share allocation of common grazing is correct, you should
contact your local DARD Direct office on 0300 200 7848 to arrange an appointment.
It is also important that you have carefully considered the new information we have
provided, as the records in our mapping system, in particular the MEA, will be used
for managing claims for area-based schemes in 2014.
Declaring and claiming for common land in 2014
You should declare all common land which is part of your holding even if you are not
using that land to activate entitlements. Also ensure the land is recorded in the
relevant columns G, H and I of the Field Data Sheet if you are using that land to
claim payment.
If you are, by agreement, using an area allocated to another farmer you must provide
evidence of that agreement with your Field Data Sheet.
If you are not a shareholder, not managed by a Trust but claimed common land in
2013, we will write to you separately with advice on how to claim your common land
in 2014.
If you are shareholder on a common not managed by a Trust, you should have
received sufficient information to allow you to complete your 2014 Field Data Sheet.
The example on the next page will help you.
The letter we sent to you following our review will have contained information in a
format similar to that shown below:
Table 1.Common Details
Original Common Id: 3/001/900
Original LPIS
Common
common common
ID
area
area
3/001/900
53.229
29.329
3/001/906
16.798
3/001/907
7.102
Ineligible feature
breakdown
INELIGIBLE
VEGETATION
17.689
ROCK
0.024
INELIGIBLE
VEGETATION
INELIGIBLE
VEGETATION
3.534
5.801
MEA
(ha)
Type of
change
applied
Is
Status Heather
Present?
11.64
SPLIT
VERIFIED
N
13.24
SPLIT
UNCLEAR
N
1.30
SPLIT
VERIFIED
Y
Table 2. Your share details
Business Applicant
ID
ID
600000
100000
Name
Mr X. XXX
New LPIS
Original
Common
Share
LPIS Common ID share area
Share Area MEA (ha)
(Ha)
(Ha)
3/001/900/7
8.90
4.71
1.87
3/001/906/7
3.26
2.56
3/001/907/7
0.93
0.17
You must ensure that the area of common land you claim on your 2014 Field Data
Sheet does not exceed your share of the MEA you have been allocated or we may
apply an over-declaration penalty to your claim.
34
35
Tenants
You should enter this land on your Field Data Sheet as follows and you will then
need to enter the area you want to claim at columns H and I.
Farm
Survey
No
Land
Eligible
Land Status
Eligible Area
Total
Type
Maximum Eligible
Area
O = Owned
Activated
Field No Field
1 = SDA Eligible
Use (use
claimed
C = Conacre
for SFP
Area (ha)
2 = DA Area
code list)
for
L = Leased
Entitlements
3 = LL
LFACA
A
B
C
D
E
F
G
1
3/1/900
7
4.71
L
1
1.87
FR1
2
3/1/906
7
3.26
L
1
2.56
FR1
3
3/1/907
7
0.93
L
1
0.17
FR1
H
I
If you are a tenant and have not received a map and Field Information Table for
some of the fields you are claiming in 2014, you need to contact the landowner to
see if he/she has received these.
New entrant to farming
If you are a new entrant to farming and have not received a map, or you are asking
for fields to be included that have not been previously mapped, you should contact
your local DARD Direct office where you can get information about the fields.
Unclear bogs
Where ‘unclear bog’ was printed in Column G of the field information table issued
with your scheme map this means that the field is lowland bog. The MEA for the field
was set to zero in Column E of the Field Information Table.
Based on the information currently available to us, we consider the field is ineligible
for SFP and (where appropriate) LFACA and should not be claimed in 2014.
If you are confident that the area is eligible you should notify us by completing
section 3 of the LPIS Correction form and add the field to your Field Data Sheet to
claim it in 2014.
Fields no longer in agricultural use
These are fields that appear to be permanently removed from agricultural use and
will have been recorded in Column F of the field information table listed with your
2014 scheme map as ‘DELETED’.
If a field was marked as ‘DELETED’ on the map you received in support of your 2013
Single Application, this field will not appear on the map to support your 2014 Single
Application, unless you advised us that the field had been incorrectly marked as
‘DELETED’ in 2013.
36
37
Section 7
Shared grazing, multiple claimant fields and field boundaries
Under EU rules, an ‘agricultural parcel’ (that is, a field) is defined as a continuous
area of land, declared by one farmer. A field can only be claimed by the farm
business that is undertaking the agricultural activity on it.
It is important to note that these ‘850’ and ‘870’ numbers, whilst different from
the existing field numbers, are unique numbers used to identify these fields.
The same is true of any splits or merges which subsequently happened.
DARD will not be renumbering ‘850’ or ‘870’ fields and farmers and agents
should use the field numbers provided to them in their most recent maps.
Shared grazing
Fields cannot be shared. To meet these rules, field boundaries must correspond to
the actual physical features listed at the end of this Section.
There is no current link between ‘850’ numbers and ownership.
You will only be permitted to claim a field, or part of a field, where there is a clear
boundary to separate the field or part of the field that you are claiming. More than
one claimant claiming a field for the same scheme (that is multiple claimants) will not
be permitted.
In 2013, you were advised to take care that you did not duplicate these fields on
your claim with one of the other businesses with an interest in that field.
940 field numbers
The only exception when fields can be shared are in cases where we are satisfied
that the eligible land is shared to graze animals by all the businesses involved and it
is not practical to fence the land. In these cases we have allocated notional shares
by dividing the MEA based on their actual use of the land as agreed with the
businesses. These fields have been allocated a 940 farm survey number.
Multiple claimant and multiple owner ‘850’ and ‘870’ fields
As part of its earlier work on reviewing scheme maps, DARD merged fields which
were not separated by a physical boundary on the ground. Where, according to our
records, these previously separate fields had been claimed by different people, the
merged fields were numbered as ‘870’ fields. These fields had their MEA set to zero
and claimants were given the option to fence off their own portion of the field, agree
with others how it would be claimed and the proceeds shared, or create a legal
common.
Where, according to our records, merged fields were claimed by the same person,
but owned by different individuals, these fields were given an ‘850’ number. As long
as the fields continue to be claimed by just one individual, there is no further action
necessary.
The creation of both ‘850’ and ‘870’ fields following merges was necessary to
explain what DARD had done and why it had been done, as well as to explain the
options available for claimants at that time.
38
You were advised to
• Fence off each share of the field so that there is a clear physical boundary
to indicate the part of the field that the farm business is claiming.
• Agree with all affected businesses which farm business will claim the field.
The claimant must exercise agricultural activity on the entire field; or
• Agree with all affected businesses to legally establish the field as a
common. You will need to send us the legal documentation establishing the
field as a common.
• In exceptional circumstances, if the affected businesses consider that it is
not practical to fence the land, the Department may give consideration to
agreeing notional allocations. The field will have to be actively farmed by all
the businesses, for example all the businesses use the land to graze
animals. The businesses involved will have to complete a Shared Grazing
Referral form and this will have to be considered further by DARD. These
fields will be renumbered with a 940 farm survey numbers, see the
beginning of this Section.
If you did not follow one of these options in 2013, you may have had a duplicate
claim which resulted in penalties being applied to your claim. To avoid duplication in
2014, or other delays to your payment • You and the other businesses with an interest in the field need to consider
the options listed above and reach agreement about its future use.
• When you agree the way forward you need to consider whether a mapping
change is needed, for example, if you agree to erect a fence to split the
field. If you do this, you will need to complete a LPIS Correction form and
contact your local DARD office who will arrange for your map to be
updated. We may carry out a visit to confirm this has happened. You will be
given a revised map at a later date.
39
• If you agree that one business will claim the field, only the business that has
the right to claim should use that land to claim SFP or LFACA at columns H
and I on your field data sheet.
Physical features accepted as a field boundary
• Permanent fence (including post and wire fence)
• Wall
• Hedge
• Bank
• Metalled road (tarmac, concreted or compacted)
• Edge of a body of fresh water
• Edge of river or stream where the body of water is greater than
2 metres wide
• Sheughs
• The distance apart will be dependent on achieving direct line of sight
between each post.
• Posts should be given an identity and this identity used to attribute the
GPS point taken to indicate the post’s location at any future inspection.
(ii) Concrete Slabs
• Where no post could be erected, a concrete slab with minimum dimensions
450mm x 450mm (18” x 18”) should be used, with its identity scribed into
the concrete while wet.
(iii) Existing Marker Stones
• These are not acceptable where posts or a concrete slab could be used.
• If, however, there are existing permanent stones; these may be acceptable
as a marker feature if given an identity in line with normal rules.
If you require further clarification on this issue please contact your local DARD
Direct office on 0300 200 7848.
• High Water Mark Mean Tide (HWMMT)
• International boundary as shown on Land and Property Services (LPS)
(formerly Ordnance Survey NI) map
• Top of cliff or rock face
Features not accepted as a field boundary
• Ownership boundaries which have no physical features
• Temporary boundaries such as electric fences, plough lines or buffer strips
• Marker posts and marker stones, except in the circumstances below.
In exceptional circumstances recognised by DARD, where it is not possible to erect
a fence one of the options below must be used to mark the boundary.
(i) Marker Posts
• A marker post must be:
- minimum diameter of 150 mm / 6”
- minimum of 1.5 m / 5ft of post to remain above the ground
• The post should be painted/re-painted to specification e.g. black/white ring
stripes.
• Wooden posts (plastic-sleeved is acceptable) are the first choice.
However, others (concrete, plastic etc) will be considered where it is not
possible to erect wooden posts or where this is not permitted for
environmental reasons.
40
41
Section 8
Important dates in the application process
This is the closing date for the receipt of all applications to
Wednesday 2 April
transfer (trade) SFP entitlements to take effect in the 2014
2014*
Scheme year.
This is the closing date for all Single Application Forms.
Thursday 15 May
2014
From 16 May to
31 May 2014
If you have completed a SFP Entitlement Declaration form
(See Question 2 on SAF 1) you must return this with your
application.
Applications already received by us by 15 May 2014 may be
amended to increase the area you have claimed, for
example adding fields, and you will not be penalised.
Section 9
Who is eligible for SFP?
To be eligible to claim payment under the SFP Scheme, you must meet all of the
following conditions:
1. Be a farmer undertaking agricultural activity and have been issued with a
Category 1 Business ID*.
2. Hold payment entitlements and have eligible agricultural land.
3. Ensure that any individual field, or area within a field, you declare to
activate SFP entitlements is at least 0.1ha.
• For common land, provided the MEA of any field is greater than
0.1ha, graziers can still claim their share of that field, even if their
share is less than 0.1ha.
As 31 May 2014 is a Saturday, we will accept
amendments to increase the area you have claimed on
Monday 2 June.
From 16 May to
9 June 2014
From 3 June to
9 June 2014
Monday 9 June
2014
From Tuesday
10 June 2014
If we receive your application on or between these dates,
you will be penalised. We will reduce your payment by
1% for each working day the application is late (except in
cases of force majeure or exceptional circumstances).
Applications already received by us may also be amended
between these dates to increase the area you have claimed,
for example, adding fields, but you will be penalised on
the amended fields. We will reduce your payment by 1%
for each working day the amendments to your
application are late (except in cases of force majeure or
exceptional circumstances).
This is the final date for receiving applications or
amendments to your Single Application.
This is also the final date for receipt of SFP Entitlement
Declaration forms (See Question 2 on SAF 1).
We will reject all applications received on or after this date
(except in cases of force majeure or exceptional
circumstances).
Information for landowners and tenants on claiming for SFP and
LFACA and other area-based aid schemes
• If you have special entitlements you can activate these without any
land but you must satisfy the required level of agricultural activity we
have told you about.
4. Have the land on which you claim payment at your disposal on 15 May of
the year of the claim.
For further information on business categories you should read Section 7 of
‘A Guide to the Single Farm Payment (SFP) Scheme’ or contact the Business
Change Section in Orchard House. See Section 14 for contact details.
*There are three categories of Business ID but only Category 1 enables the farm
business to hold payment entitlements and submit a SAF.
Landowners
Where a landowner has leased land to another business which the leasee (tenant)
enters into an agri-environment scheme, we would strongly advise that only the
leasee (tenant) should claim SFP or LFACA on that land.
In such cases, it is very unlikely that the landlord would retain sufficient control of the
land to enable the requirements of the SFP Scheme to be met.
This includes applications which arrive with us on
Tuesday 10 June 2014.
Tenants
* Date correct at time of printing.
To claim SFP tenants must:
• have the agreement of the landowner to claim that land;
• have the land at their disposal on 15 May; and
• be undertaking agricultural activity on that land.
42
43
If there is any uncertainty about your claim, you may be asked for evidence to show
what agricultural activity you are undertaking on the land. If you cannot satisfy DARD
that you are responsible for undertaking agricultural activity on land you have
claimed for SFP, that land will be removed from your claim and we will consider
whether over declaration penalties should be applied.
If you are leasing land or taking land in conacre you should:
1. Check if the landowner is claiming SFP on this land.
2. Check if the landowner allows you to use the land to claim subsidy.
3. Have a suitable written conacre licence agreement (for example the RICS
model conacre licence agreement), if you are claiming LFACA.
4. Make sure you get the most up-to-date map from the landowner.
5. If possible, check that the previous tenant is not claiming SFP or LFACA on
this land.
Should I be claiming SFP on the land?
It is in your interests to make sure that you only claim SFP on land that you
have the right to claim. It must be at your disposal on 15 May and you must be
undertaking agricultural activity on the land.
Agricultural activity is defined as the production, rearing or growing of agricultural
products including harvesting, milking, breeding animals and keeping animals for
farming purposes or maintaining land in good agricultural and environmental
condition (GAEC).
If you are not undertaking any agricultural activity on land you should not claim it for
SFP. If you do, this may be considered as creating artificial conditions to claim
subsidy and, if we think this is the case, we will carry out further investigations which
will delay your payment. We could also apply penalties.
All agricultural land within a business (irrespective of whether it is used to activate
SFP entitlements or claim payment under another aid scheme) must be maintained
in accordance with the Cross-Compliance Statutory Management Requirements
(SMRs) and must be kept in good agricultural and environmental condition (GAEC).
Further information on Cross-Compliance responsibilities is at Section 10 of
this Guide.
Land use and SFP
The Land Use codes at Section 13 set out which land is eligible when completing
your Field Data Sheet.
Detailed information on land can be found in the updated 2013 version of the ‘Guide
to Land Eligibility’ booklet. This is available on the DARD website
www.dardni.gov.uk/grants-and-funding
The land on which you are claiming must be in an eligible land use for the entire
calendar year (1 January - 31 December) except in cases of force majeure or
exceptional circumstances. See Section 11 for further information.
Who is eligible for 2015 Less Favoured Area Compensatory Allowances
(LFACA) Scheme?
LFACA 2015 will be similar to the 2014 scheme. LFACA 2015 eligibility requirements
are largely unchanged since 2014 and these are set out below.
The scheme has two parts:
1. An area based payment for eligible hectares of Severely Disadvantaged
Land (SDA) and Disadvantaged Land (DA); and
2. A `cattle bonus` which increases the area based payment for those
producers who have 25% or more of their eligible livestock units (LUs) as
suckler cows or heifers.
In short, to claim you must:
• farm at least 3ha of eligible forage land in the SDA and/or DA;
• keep enough eligible stock to meet the minimum 0.2 LUs per hectare (ha)
stocking density requirement;
• have the land available and accessible to you and meet the stocking density
requirement throughout the period of 1 April 2014 to 31 October 2014.
• you should have a written conacre licence agreement if you are a tenant;
• meet the Cross-Compliance requirements;
• agree to farm in the Less Favoured Area (LFA) for five years from the first
payment of a compensatory allowance; and
• complete the 2014 SAF 1 and Field Data Sheet properly.
More detail on the scheme is given in the LFACA Explanatory Notes booklet which
you can read, download and print from our website at
www.dardni.gov.uk/grants-and-funding
44
45
Land use and LFACA
Duplicate field claims
Eligible forage land is land that is in the Severely Disadvantaged Area (SDA) or
Disadvantaged Area (DA) and is declared on your Field Data Sheet under either FR1
(Grass) or OT3 (Non-commercial grazed orchards, grazed woodlands or areas in
agro-forestry). It must also be available and accessible to you for use for maintaining
livestock or producing a forage crop for the entire 7 month period of 1 April 2014 to
31 October 2014. Codes FR1 and OT3 are eligible under the LFACA scheme as long
as the land is situated within an LFA region.
A duplicate field claim is where the same field has been claimed under the same aid
scheme by more than one farm business. This is not the same as a dual use claim.
If a duplicate field situation arises, we will require substantive and clear proof of who
has the right to claim the field and is undertaking agricultural activity on the land. It is
important that farmers agree who has the right to claim payment on individual fields
before they submit an application form. The farmer who does not have the right to
claim should ensure that the field is removed from their 2014 Field Data Sheet.
Dual use claims
Unresolved duplicate fields will not be pre-printed at Columns A-F on the Field Data
Sheet of all the businesses on which the field was duplicated in 2013.
A dual use claim is where one individual (typically the landowner, but not always)
claims SFP in respect of a field on which a second individual (typically the conacre
tenant) simultaneously claims LFACA.
As advised in Section 4 of this Guide, SFP Branch will be issuing a ‘Fields not
Printed’ letter to those farmers where an unresolved duplicate field exists on their
application.
We consider that, in conacre-like arrangements, a dual use claim is possible, provided
the applicants involved are each able to meet the respective scheme conditions.
In order to demonstrate that they are meeting the scheme conditions, applicants
should have a written conacre licence agreement.
We will be carrying out a 5% check on dual use claims received in 2014. As part of
this check the LFACA claimant will be asked to provide a copy of their written conacre
agreement. The SFP claimant will also be informed that a check is being carried out.
We will withhold payment on both claims until we are satisfied that all the scheme
conditions are being met. If the LFACA applicant cannot supply a copy of a written
conacre agreement showing that the eligibility conditions of the scheme are being met,
over declaration penalties will be applied. Depending on the amount of land involved
the entire claim could be treated as ineligible.
There should be no delay in the processing of claims provided there is a suitable
written agreement in place and a copy provided should the Department ask to see it.
For claims made on the 2014 SAF, it is important that landowners and tenants
agree who has the right to claim and that the claimant can meet all the
conditions for a particular scheme.
Where the land is let under a formal, multi-annual leasing arrangement, it is very
unlikely that the landlord would retain sufficient control of the land to enable all the
requirements of the SFP scheme to be met.
A model of a written conacre licence agreement has been developed by the Royal
Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) working with the Department and the Ulster
Farmers’ Union (UFU). It incorporates the information we believe is needed to allow
both farm businesses to demonstrate that they are meeting the conditions of each
scheme and can be downloaded, free of charge, from the RICS website.
www.rics.org/conacre
It can also be accessed through the UFU website www.ufuni.org/links.aspx
46
47
Section 10
Specific issues of interest
2014 Scaleback of SFP entitlements
As advised at Section 2 of this Guide, the unit face value of all current SFP entitlements
held in 2014 will be reduced by approximately 9.25%.
A more precise calculation of the actual reduction will be confirmed later in the year
and applied prior to 2014 SFP payments being issued. When this is completed,
farmers will be given further information on the new value of the SFP entitlements
that they hold.
There will be no compulsory or voluntary modulation applied to SFP in 2014.
Further information on scaleback of 2014 SFP entitlements can be found at
http://www.dardni.gov.uk/index/grants-and-funding/area-based-landschemes/single-farm-payments/sfp-faqs/2014-scaleback-faqs.htm
Order of activating your SFP entitlements
Every farmer has to have an entitlement for each hectare of eligible land on which they
want to claim SFP. The EU Regulations require farmers to activate (or claim) each of
their SFP entitlements at least once every two years. If the entitlements are not
activated as required, the unused entitlements may be taken from the farm business.
If you did not activate all or some of your entitlements in 2013, you must activate them
in 2014 or you will lose them at the end of the 2014 scheme year.
If you do not activate your payment entitlements, they will be returned to the National
Reserve (except in cases of force majeure or exceptional circumstances) and you will
no longer be able to claim payment on these entitlements. If you answer ‘Yes’ at
Question 2 on your SAF, we will activate your entitlements to equal the number of
eligible hectares you have declared at Question 1 on your SAF in the following order:
1. We will activate those entitlements not activated in the previous year and
which you could lose if they are not activated in the current year. We will
begin with those with the highest unit value.
2. Then we will activate all other entitlements to the limit supported by your
eligible land, again beginning with those with the highest unit value.
If you hold entitlements of different values and do not activate them all in 2014, we
may need to rotate your entitlements and activate those of a lower value first. This
will avoid them being confiscated, but could result in a lower SFP payment in 2014.
However, if you answer ‘No’ at Question 2 because, for example:
• you would rather receive a higher SFP but have the lower value entitlements
confiscated, or
• for whatever reason, you do not want to activate all your entitlements but want
to decide for yourself which ones you want to activate (for example,
you hold entitlements of different values)
48
You will need to tell us exactly which entitlements you want us to activate for you.
To do this, please download a Single Farm Payment Entitlement Declaration Form
from the Department’s website or obtain one from a DARD Direct office. Complete
and return it along with your 2014 SAF, on or before 15 May 2014.
If you answer ‘No’ to Section 1 and do not return this form along with your
application form, we will activate your entitlements on your behalf in the order set
out above.
€100 minimum payment for SFP
The EU requires us to set a minimum payment level. In Northern Ireland the
minimum payment level prior to deductions is €100. This means that if the total
value of entitlements you claim (activate) is less than €100, the entitlements will not
be considered activated and no payment can be made.
For example, a farmer holds 1 entitlement worth €120.
• If the farmer only activates two thirds of that entitlement (€80), no payment
will be made.
• If the farmer activates the entire entitlement worth €120, but after
deductions the amount payable is reduced to €80, then a payment of €80
will be made.
Entitlements regarded as not activated in 2013 will be lost if they are not activated in
2014. We will return these to the National Reserve and you will no longer be able to
claim payment on them.
You may choose to buy/lease additional entitlements to increase the total value of
entitlements you activate above €100. You will need to ensure you have sufficient
land to activate these additional entitlements. Alternatively, you may choose to sell
or lease your entitlements to another farmer.
Land claimed for SFP under a NIEA designated site
SFP may continue to be paid on land that no longer meets the usual SFP eligibility
requirements because of the implementation of EU legislation on the conservation of
wild birds, natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora, for example, tall heather. The
land may be used to claim your entitlements provided it met the SFP eligibility
requirements and formed part of the area determined as eligible for payment in
2008.
Much of this land will be within a Special Protection Area (SPA), Special Area of
Conservation (SAC) or Area of Special Scientific Interest (ASSI). You will have been
formally notified by the NIEA if your land is in one of these areas and you will already
be aware of the environmental obligations which exist on your land.
49
There may also be land outside of the above designated sites which contains priority
species and habitats and may be used to claim entitlements. If you think that your
land contains priority species and habitats, but you have not received any formal
notification from the NIEA, you should contact Richard Weyl on 028 9056 9684.
On-the-Spot (OTS) land eligibility checks (inspections)
How OTS land eligibility checks are selected
In accordance with EU legislation, 5% of the applications submitted must be selected
for an OTS land eligibility check. Between 1% and 1.25% of these are selected
randomly, with the remaining 3.75% - 4% being selected using a risk-based
methodology.
For example, in the 2013 scheme year, 1 in every 80 applications received was
selected randomly (approximately 475 farm businesses) and the remainder
approximately 1,425 farm businesses) were selected using a risk-based methodology.
We do not control the random selection so there is always the potential that a farm
business could be randomly selected year after year. Similarly, it can happen that a
farm business selected under the risk-based methodology can also have had a land
eligibility check completed in previous years.
What if I am selected for an OTS land eligibility check?
By submitting a Single Application, you agree to permit the Department to carry out
an OTS land eligibility check with or without prior notice at any reasonable time.
If an OTS check is being completed, an inspector will endeavour to contact you prior
to the OTS check, usually by phone, advising you of the date and time. The OTS
check may go ahead if contact cannot be made.
In extenuating circumstances the date of the OTS check can be re-arranged at the
discretion of the DARD inspector. However, it must be within the time period as
outlined in the EU Regulations.
If you are selected for a land eligibility check, it is not necessary for you to walk the
fields with the inspector. However, you should arrange to be present at the end of
the OTS check to discuss the findings and sign off the OTS check report. If you are
unavailable, please nominate a representative in your place to sign the report in your
absence. No payment will be made if you, or others acting on your behalf, prevent
an OTS check from being carried out.
If the OTS check is being undertaken using CwRS you will receive no notification.
In the event of a field visit being required to confirm details, you may be contacted
by DARD staff regarding the visit and in some cases, an OTS check may require a
follow up visit.
The risk-based methodology is based on information provided on the Single
Application and on claim history. A risk weighting is attributed to each of the risk
criteria and claims that accrue the highest total score are subject to an OTS check.
The same risk criteria and risk weightings are applied to all claims.
Once the OTS check has been completed and the results processed you will be sent
a report detailing the findings, you should use these findings for the next scheme
year’s claim.
Most of the risk factors applied are based on those suggested by the Commission
and include:
Further information on how and when OTS checks are carried out and how OTS
checks relate to SFP and other area based schemes can be found on the DARD
website
• amount of aid involved
www.dardni.gov.uk/grants-and-funding
• number of agricultural parcels
• changes from the previous year (for example fields that were mapped for the
first time in 2013)
Cross-Compliance responsibilities
• findings of OTS checks made in past years.
Cross-Compliance obligations apply to all the schemes claimed on your SAF.
OTS land eligibility checks are considered by the EU as a key control in our
implementation of the Single Application and once a farm has been selected for
inspection, it cannot be removed from that selection.
Who undertakes the OTS land eligibility checks for SFP?
The land eligibility check can be undertaken by DARD staff who will complete an on
farm visit, which involves inspecting all fields claimed/declared by the applicant.
Alternatively, it can be completed using Control with Remote Sensing (CwRS)
techniques.
50
All agricultural land within a business (irrespective of whether it is used to activate
SFP entitlements or claim payment under another aid scheme) must be maintained
in accordance with the Cross-Compliance Statutory Management Requirements
(SMRs) and must be kept in good agricultural and environmental condition (GAEC).
Although land used to activate entitlements needs only to be at your disposal on
15 May of the year of the claim, you must meet the Cross-Compliance rules for the
whole calendar year. This applies even if you do not occupy the land for the whole
year.
There is one exception to this rule which is when land is transferred from or to
someone who has also submitted an application in that calendar year.
51
Example 1
You take on some agricultural land on 10 April 2014.
You declare this transferred land as part of your holding on your 2014 SAF. If the
transferor (the person you took the land from) does not submit a 2014 SAF for the
rest of their agricultural land, you will be liable for Cross-Compliance on the
transferred land for the whole of the calendar year, including the period between 1
January 2014 and 9 April 2014 when you did not occupy the land.
If the transferor submits a 2014 SAF for the rest of their agricultural land, they will be
liable for Cross-Compliance on the transferred land from 1 January 2014 until 9 April
2014. You will be liable for Cross-Compliance on the transferred land from 10 April
2014 for the remainder of the calendar year.
Example 2
You transfer some agricultural land on 14 July 2014 to another farm business
This land was declared on your 2014 SAF. The transferee (the person you transferred
the land to) has not submitted a 2014 SAF. You will be liable for Cross-Compliance
on the transferred land for the whole of the calendar year, including the period
between 14 July 2014 and 31 December 2014 when you are not occupying the land.
If the transferee has submitted a 2014 SAF for the rest of their agricultural land, they
will be liable for Cross-Compliance on the transferred land from 14 July 2014 until 31
December 2014. You will be liable for Cross-Compliance on the land up to the date
of transfer that is, from 1 January 2014 until 13 July 2014.
You should carefully consider the terms of any contractual arrangements
between you and the transferor or transferee if you are transferring land (either in
or out) during the year. This is so you can make sure that your interests are
protected and you can produce documentary evidence regarding responsibility for
the land if either a Cross-Compliance breach occurs or access for inspectors is
prevented before or after the land transfer. Similarly, you should bear in mind the
risks of not having contractual arrangements agreed and in place.
In the case of livestock, the keeper of the animals is responsible for ensuring
compliance with the animal related Cross-Compliance requirements.
Further information on Cross-Compliance (including GAEC) can be found in the
booklets:
1. Cross-Compliance Verifiable Standards Summary (revised 1 January 2014)
2. Cross-Compliance Verifiable Standards (Full Version)
Section 11
General points to remember
Nomination of authorised person
You can nominate another person to fill in the SAF and act on your behalf in relation to
the processing of your claim so long as they have been properly authorised. There are
four levels of authority and you should only select one of these options at Section 11 (b)
on your SAF.
The levels of authority are:
1. Complete and submit the SAF on your behalf only; or
2. Complete, submit the SAF and allow the authorised person to discuss your
claims with the Department and to view your farm maps; or
3. Complete, submit the SAF, discuss your claims with the Department and
view and amend your farm maps. Also, allow the authorised person to
make changes where scheme rules permit, for example, change or withdraw
information on your behalf; or
4. Complete, submit the SAF, discuss your claims with the Department, view
and amend your farm maps and allow the authorised person to make
changes where scheme rules permit and view your payment details online.
When you nominate someone to act on your behalf, his or her authorisation to do so
will remain in place until you tell us otherwise. Therefore, you will only need to
complete this section this year if you want to nominate a different person or
change the level of authority you gave the person you nominated previously.
In signing this section you are doing so on behalf of all the members of your business
and indicating that all members agree.
We will consider any information provided by the person you authorise to have been
provided by you and we may reduce your claim if we find the information is incorrect
or scheme rules have not been met.
The Department will not be liable for any direct or indirect loss or liability to you as a
result of the authorised person acting on your behalf.
Amendments, corrections or withdrawals of application forms
Amendments to areas you have claimed
You can correct your application form at any time by removing or reducing areas you
have claimed as long as you let SFP Branch in Orchard House know. This must be done:
Both of these booklets are available on the DARD website at
• in writing (using a SAF 3, which is included in your application pack),
www.dardni.gov.uk/Cross-Compliance
• before we tell you about an OTS check, and
• provided we have not already told you about an error in your application.
52
53
If we have already told you about a problem with your application or if we have given
notice that an OTS check will be carried out and this OTS check then reveals an
irregularity, you cannot amend, withdraw or change the part of the application
affected by the irregularity.
If any amendments, corrections or withdrawals of application forms affect the
MEA, you must also complete a LPIS Correction form and send it to your local
DARD Direct office.
You can amend your application to increase the area you have claimed or the value
of your claim up to and including 31 May 2014 without penalty, providing you
have not been notified of an inspection or told of an error in your application.
For example, you might add fields if you are using them to support a claim for SFP.
You can also make changes regarding use and aid scheme for fields already
included in the application.
Obvious error
For 2014, between 1 June and 9 June inclusive, if we receive your amendment to
increase the area you have claimed or the value of your claim, we will reduce your
payment relating to the fields in question by 1% for each working day the
amendments are late, except in cases of force majeure or exceptional
circumstances.
As a general rule an obvious error has to be detected from information given on the
SAF. Not all mistakes can be described as obvious errors and some errors may
result in penalties being applied to your claim.
Applications cannot be amended after 9 June to increase areas claimed, or the value
of the claim, except in cases of force majeure or exceptional circumstances. If you
notify us of an error after that date, we will correct your application and you will not
be penalised but you will not receive payment on the adjusted area.
If a different area to the one you notified in your amendment is found at the
OTS check, you may be penalised.
Amending SAF to claim payment in euro
Once the request to be paid in euro is made you cannot revert to payment in sterling
during the 2014 scheme year.
SFP is the only scheme which can be paid in euro. All other schemes will be paid in
sterling.
EU legislation states that the deadline for deciding if you want to be paid in euro is
the closing date of the Single Application. For 2014, this is Thursday 15 May. The
only exception to this is a late claim received on or before 9 June 2014 which would
incur late claim penalties (except in cases of force majeure or exceptional
circumstances).
Withdrawal of land from your claim
You can choose to withdraw all or part of your application for payment from any aid
scheme at any time, as long as we have not told you about any mistakes in your
application or told you of an OTS check which subsequently reveals errors in
respect of the withdrawn information. You must make your application to withdraw
in writing (using Form SAF 3) to SFP Branch in Orchard House.
54
In accordance with EU rules, we can sometimes adjust your application in cases of
obvious error. Decisions on whether to do this depends on the overall facts and
circumstances of each individual case. We must be satisfied of the obvious nature of
the error involved.
If we do identify what we believe to be an obvious error, we will write to you about
this. You should reply as quickly as possible to help avoid delays in the processing
of your claim.
Cross-border applications
(i)
Holdings within other United Kingdom regions
If you have land in more than one region of the United Kingdom which is managed
as the same farm business, you will have to apply to only one Paying Agency to
receive payment for your entire holding. You should apply to the Paying Agency
responsible for the region where most of your holding is located.
See Section 14 for contact details.
If most of the land relating to your business is located in Northern Ireland, the Single
Application pack supplied by us will include a Single Application Form, Field Data
Sheet and Applicant Guide from other regions in which you farm. You should fill in
the forms from the other regions along with the Northern Ireland Single Application
Form and return them all to SFP Branch in Orchard House.
If most of the land relating to your business is in another region of the United
Kingdom with some land in Northern Ireland, you should receive an application
pack from the Paying Agency in the other region. This pack will include the
Northern Ireland forms and guidance.
Note:
If you have land in another region of the United Kingdom and this land is
managed as a separate farm business from the business in Northern Ireland,
and you established entitlements separately, in both regions, in 2005, then
these rules will not apply. You will have to complete separate forms in both
regions.
55
(ii)
Land in the Republic of Ireland
Registration of Agricultural Waste Authorisations
It is not possible to use land that is situated in the Republic of Ireland (ROI) to
activate entitlements in Northern Ireland.
The information at Section 6 of the SAF1 relating to Agricultural Waste Exemptions is
required by the Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) and will be passed to
them.
Penalties
From 2013 an additional question has been included at 11.1 relating to storage of
tyres.
We will check all application forms to ensure they have been completed correctly
and that the eligibility rules of the schemes are being met.
If you do not meet the scheme rules, or we find an inaccuracy, we will apply
penalties. A false declaration made deliberately or recklessly may also lead to
criminal prosecution.
Farmers will not be penalised for storing waste tyres which are required according to
the waste exemptions (for example silage clamps). However, should NIEA become
aware that illegal tyre dumping/land filling is taking place then enforcement action may
be taken.
• Late applications (received after 15 May 2014).
While there is no direct link between this and SFP, farmers are reminded that land
temporarily out of agricultural use for the storage of tyres, silage bales, machinery and
all other land temporarily out of agricultural use is not eligible for SFP.
• Amendments to your applications between 3 June and 9 June 2014
inclusive.
Information on the Registration of Agricultural Waste Authorisations is available from
the NIEA directly or at the following website addresses
• Reductions relating to breach of Cross-Compliance requirements.
http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/waste-home/waste-guidance.htm
• Non or over-declaration of land (including duplicate fields and declaring
ineligible land).
http://www.doeni.gov.uk/niea/waste-home/authorisation/regulations_carrier.htm
Examples of circumstances when you may be penalised include:
Contact details can be found at Section 14 of this Guide.
• Intentional over-declaration.
In limited circumstances, we may accept that you did not meet the requirements of
the Single Application because of events outside of your control. This is known as
force majeure or exceptional circumstances. Where this is the case, we will not
normally apply penalties.
Full details of penalties, with examples, can be found in ‘A Guide to the Single
Farm Payment Scheme’ and is available on our website at
www.dardni.gov.uk/grants-and-funding
It is in your interest to make sure your claim is accurate and that you do not claim on
any land that is not eligible.
Check all the information on your Field Data Sheet is correct and remove ALL
ineligible areas. You should tell us about any changes to the MEA by completing a
LPIS Correction form (and a SAF 3 if you are reporting a change after you have sent
in your SAF1).
If we find you have deliberately claimed on land that is clearly not eligible for the
scheme you have applied for, we may apply an intentional over-declaration penalty.
This could result in loss of all payment for one year or, in more severe cases, in the
following 3 years as well.
56
57
Section 12
Force majeure and exceptional circumstances
Introduction
The EU Regulations allow for us to consider cases of force majeure or exceptional
circumstances as a reason for not submitting or amending your application on time.
Force majeure or exceptional circumstances is not new and applies to all land based
subsidy schemes (SFP, LFACA and agri-environment). Force majeure or exceptional
circumstances is defined as ‘unusual circumstances, outside the control of the
trader, the consequences of which, in spite of the exercise of all due care, could not
have been avoided except at the cost of excessive sacrifice’.
Should you consider force majeure applies to your land because of any unforeseen
event you are advised to contact SFP Branch immediately for advice. You should be
aware that, for us to consider a case of force majeure or exceptional circumstances,
we need to be told in writing and within ten working days of the date of being in a
position to do so.
When you tell us of a ‘force majeure’ you will be asked to complete an FML1
application form. We will look at each request individually and where we agree that
force majeure or exceptional circumstances have been demonstrated, we will not
normally apply penalties.
You will have to prove that, despite taking all reasonable measures to counteract
their effects, the force majeure or exceptional circumstances prevented you from
meeting your obligations. You must be able to provide information, supported by
documentary evidence, of the steps you have taken to prevent or lessen the effect of
these circumstances.
It is important that you do not wait until the ‘Review of Decisions’ stage to notify the
Department of force majeure or exceptional circumstances, as this will normally be
considered to be outside the 10 working day notification period.
Land taken out of production due to force majeure or exceptional
circumstances
Cases of force majeure are determined against their particular circumstances and on
an individual basis, for example, your land may have been made ineligible following
a gorse/heath fire or the Department may have removed diseased trees which were
on eligible land used to support a SFP or LFACA claim.
You should always notify the Department at the earliest possible opportunity of any
force majeure situation that renders a portion of land out of agricultural use, even if
only for a short time.
So, if for reasons of force majeure or exceptional circumstances some, or all, of your
land is not available to you on 15 May, or is ineligible for SFP at any time during the
year, you should tell us when you submit your claim or within ten working days
of the date of being in a position to do so.
58
If you do not, and we later discover that the land was taken out of production at
any time during the year, we may consider that there is an over-declaration of
land and apply a penalty to your claim.
For us to consider force majeure or exceptional circumstances, the land must
be unavailable to you on 15 May in the scheme year or ineligible for SFP for at
least some part of the calendar year. The land must be able to be returned to
agricultural use or become eligible for SFP. You must provide clear documentation
indicating when the land is likely to come back into agricultural use.
If your land is ineligible for SFP for the whole year, and is removed permanently from
agricultural use, we will not consider force majeure or exceptional circumstances.
Should this happen, you will have to obtain other eligible land to claim payment of
SFP in such circumstances.
Land temporarily removed from agriculture
Examples of eligible force majeure or exceptional circumstances events will be those
that temporarily remove the land from the farmer’s agricultural business. These include:
• Land vested by a utility for work where the land is returned to agricultural use
after the work is complete, for example, pipe laying.
• Eligible land which has been damaged as the result of an event, for example,
gorse wildfire or floods.
Force majeure or exceptional circumstances will be considered if you have signed an
agreement, or are similarly committed to permitting work to take place but the
consequences of not doing so would be that a vesting order would be applied. You
will be required to provide evidence of when you were made aware of the work or the
intention to apply for a vesting order.
If your land has been purchased as part of a vesting order we may accept force
majeure or exceptional circumstances in relation to your claim for SFP for that year
only.
If your land has been burned maliciously then you need to provide evidence that you
reported this to the Police Service of NI or the NI Fire and Rescue Service.
Land permanently removed from agriculture
The payment of SFP in relation to land becoming ineligible is dependent on whether
the land is permanently removed from agriculture or whether it will be returned to
agricultural use at some point.
If you have land that is permanently removed from agricultural use, for example, land
that is actually taken up by a new road, it is possible to pay SFP on this area in the
year in which the land is taken out of agricultural use. After this you need to make
other arrangements to have eligible land to support activation of your entitlements.
59
If the land is to be returned to agricultural use it is possible to claim payment using
the land during the period it is not in agricultural use. Such areas would normally be
areas set aside for storage of materials and equipment used in the construction of
road works and then returned to you for agricultural use. However, the period of
removal from agricultural use would have to be reasonable, for example, 2 years.
Road Service Guidelines
The Roads Service is an Executive Agency within the Department for Regional
Development. It has produced guidelines, with the assistance and input from the
Ulster Farmers’ Union, to inform and advise farmers and landowners of the
development processes that Roads Service normally adopts when bringing forward
proposals for a major road improvement scheme.
These guidelines can be found at: www.roadsni.gov.uk/roadimprovements
Section 13 Eligible land use codes for Column G
Code Description
Forage
FR1
Grass (grass for grazing, hay and silage, rough grazing, grazed heather,
sainfoin, clover, lucerne and forage vetches).
FR2
Dehydrated fodder eligible for dried fodder aid.
Arable
AR1
Cereals, oilseeds or linseed, Spring barley, Winter barley, Spring wheat,
Winter wheat, oats, mixed corn, rye, grain maize, oilseed rape, linseeds,
triticale, sunflowers, sweetcorn.
AR2
Whole crop cereals/silage maize (cereal or maize for animal consumption).
AR3
Other fodder crops (fodder beet, fodder rape, fodder kale, stubble turnips,
swedes and any other crop used for fodder not stated elsewhere. If you have
wild bird cover and are claiming under an Agri-environment scheme, use this
code).
AR4
Flax (flax which is eligible for the Fibre Aid Processing Scheme).
AR5
Hemp - not grown as an energy crop. If you are growing hemp you must
obtain a licence and include it with your Single Application.
Horticulture
60
HT1
Fruit (strawberries, rhubarb, raspberries, mulberries, blackberries,
loganberries, currants (black, red and white), cranberries, bilberries and other
fruits of the genus Vaccinium and tomatoes).
HT2
Vegetables (cabbages, cauliflowers, kohlrabi, kale and similar edible
brassicas; carrots, turnips, salad beetroot, salsify, celeriac, radishes,
Jerusalem artichokes and similar edible roots; cucumbers and gherkins;
leguminous vegetables such as peas and beans; lettuce (Lactuca sativa) and
chicory (Cichorium spp.), cress and other salad vegetables; alliaceous
vegetables such as onions, shallots, garlic, leeks and chives; aubergines,
edible mushrooms, marrows, pumpkins, spinach, cress, fruits of the genus
Capsicum or the genus Pimenta; herbs such as fennel, parsley, chervil,
tarragon and sweet marjoram (Majorama hortensis or Origanum majorama),
basil, coriander and dill; globe artichokes and asparagus).
HT3
Potatoes (seed and table potatoes).
HT4
Horticultural food crops grown under cover (crops listed at HT1 - HT3
grown under cover on land which is eligible for the Single Farm Payment that is, land kept in GAEC). Land under concrete floors is NOT eligible.
61
Set-Aside
SA1
Land Voluntarily Set-aside.
Protein Crops
PC1
Peas, Field beans, Sweet lupins or other protein crop.
Energy Crops
EC1
Short rotation coppice covered by CN code 0602 90 41,
Alder, Birch, Hazel, Ash, Lime, Sweet chestnut, Sycamore, Willow, Poplar.
EC2
Hemp grown as an Energy Crop.
EC3
Any other agricultural crop grown for the purpose of producing energy.
OT5
Commercial Orchards (commercial orchards used to grow top fruit for
example, apples and pears).
OT9
Land that was eligible, claimed and on which SFP was paid in respect of
2008 scheme year and is subsequently (after 31 December 2008) converted
to forestry under an EU scheme remains eligible for the duration of the
forestry scheme.
OT10 Land that was eligible, claimed and on which SFP was paid in respect of
2008 scheme year and is subsequently (after 31 December 2008) planted
with trees under an EU agri-environment scheme, remains eligible for the
duration of the EU agri-environment scheme.
OT11 Land in an EU Forestry Scheme on which SFP was paid in 2008 in respect of
set-aside entitlements remains eligible for the duration of the forestry
scheme.
OT12 Land in an EU agri-environment Scheme on which SFP was paid in 2008 in
respect of set-aside entitlements remains eligible for the duration of the EU
agri-environment scheme.
Other
OT1
Flowers.
OT2
Lawn Turf.
OT3
Non-commercial grazed orchards, grazed woodlands or areas in
agroforestry.
Grazed woodland or grazed orchards with more than 50 trees per hectare
may be considered eligible if:
• there has been a history of acceptable grazing practice and there is
sufficient forage and evidence of acceptable grazing;
• grazing is not damaging the ecological value of the site, for example by
significantly reducing the number of existing tree seedlings and saplings
or by reducing the occurrence of grazing sensitive plants.
If there are single trees, a line of trees or a small clump of trees with grazing
available right up to the trees, you do not need to make a deduction for the
tree trunks.
Agro-forestry is having agriculture and tree growing on the same land unit.
OT4
Ornamentals and Nurseries.
Areas of young woody plants grown in the open air for subsequent
transplantation.
Note: concrete areas, or hardcore, on which potted nursery plants,
ornamentals, polytunnels etc. are placed are not eligible for SFP.
Use OT7 for such areas.
62
63
Section 14
DARD Direct offices
Contact details
Useful addresses and phone numbers
Armagh
A:tek Building
Edenaveys Industrial Est.
Newry Road
Edenaveys
Armagh
BT60 1NF
Magherafelt
Units 36-38
Meadowlane Shopping Centre
Moneymore Road
Town Parks of Magherafelt
Magherafelt
BT45 6PR
Ballymena
Academy House
121a Broughshane Street
Townparks
Ballymena
BT43 6HY
Mallusk
Castleton House
15 Trench Road
Grange of Mallusk
Mallusk
Newtownabbey
BT36 4TY
Coleraine
Crown Buildings
Artillery Road
Millburn
Coleraine
BT52 2AJ
Newry
Glenree House
Unit 2, Springhill Road
Carnbane Industrial Estate
Carnbane
Newry
BT35 6EF
If you need any help or advice in relation to your application please contact SFP
Branch in Orchard House or your local DARD office.
The addresses and phone numbers are shown below.
Single Farm Payment Branch
Orchard House
40 Foyle Street
Derry/Londonderry
BT48 6AT
LFACA Section
Orchard House
40 Foyle Street
Derry/Londonderry
BT48 6AT
Fax: (028) 7131 9800
DARD Grants and Funding: Tel: 0300 200 7848
Single Farm Payment (SFP), land eligibility, LFACA, farm, fisheries,
forestry and rural development payments and grants, pre 2005 schemes.
Website Address: www.dardni.gov.uk/index/grants-and-funding
E-mail Address: gspd.sfps@dardni.gov.uk
DARD Helpline: Tel: 0300 200 7852
or e-mail dardhelpline@dardni.gov.uk
Downpatrick Rathkeltair House
Market Street
Demesne of Down Acre
Downpatrick
BT30 6LZ
Newtownards Sketrick House
16 Jubilee Road
Corporation South
Newtownards
BT23 4YH
Dungannon
Crown Buildings
Thomas Street
Drumcoo
Dungannon
BT70 1HR
Omagh
Enniskillen
Inishkeen House
Killyhevlin
Enniskillen
BT74 4EJ
Sperrin House
Sedan Avenue
Lisnamallard
Omagh
BT79 7AQ
The telephone number for all Grants and Funding enquiries at
DARD Direct Offices is 0300 200 7848
64
65
Other contact points:
Countryside Management
Development Branch
Lindesay Hall
Loughry Campus
Dungannon Road
COOKSTOWN
BT80 9AA
College of Agriculture, Food
and Rural Enterprise (CAFRE)
Organic Development Advisor
Greenmount Campus
45 Tirgracy Road
Muckamore
ANTRIM
BT41 4PS
Tel: 0300 200 7842
Tel: 0300 200 7843
Email: cmbenquiries@dardni.gov.uk
Forest Service
Afforestation & Plant Health Branch
Room 26
Dundonald House
Upper Newtownards Road
Ballymiscaw
BELFAST
BT4 3SB
The phone number for the Forest Service is 0300 200 7847
Email: customer.forestservice@dardni.gov.uk
Other sources of advice:
Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA)
Land and Resource Management Unit
Klondyke Building
Cromac Avenue
Gasworks Business Park
Lower Ormeau Road
Belfast, BT7 2JA
Telephone Numbers
General Enquires: 028 9056 9360
Waste Management Exemptions: 028 9056 9359
Registration of Carrier’s Queries: 028 9056 9360
Hazardous Waste Section: 028 9056 9710
Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU)
475 Antrim Road
BELFAST
BT15 3DA
Tel: 028 9037 0222
Fax: 028 9037 1231
Email: info@ufuhq.com
NI Agricultural Producers’ Association (NIAPA)
15 Molesworth Street
COOKSTOWN
BT80 8NX
Tel: 028 8676 5700
Northern Ireland Agricultural Consultants’ Association (NIACA)
35 Main Street
DROMORE
Co. Tyrone
BT78 3AE
Tel: (028) 8289 8179
GB Paying Agencies
Rural Payments Agency for England
Reading HQ
Kings House
33 Kings Road
Reading
RG1 3BU
Tel: 0118 958 3626
Fax: 0118 959 7736
Scottish Government, Rural Payments and Inspection Directorate
SFP & Support Schemes Section
Room 220
Pentland House
47 Robb's Loan
EDINBURGH
EH14 1TY
Tel: 0131 244 4488
Email: SFPMailbox@scotland.gsi.gov.uk
Welsh Assembly Government, Department for Rural Affairs
Rural Payments Division
Ffynnon Las
Ty Glas Avenue
Llanishen
Cardiff
CF14 5EZ
Tel: 029 2075 2222
Fax: 029 2068 1381
66
67
Annex 1
Types of ineligible features
INELIGIBLE
BOUNDARY
Category of
ineligible
feature
HARD
ROCK
(Rock/stones/
boulders/rocky
outcrops)
WATER
Types of ineligible features within each
category.
All buildings, glasshouses, polytunnels, yards,
areas of hard standing, roads, laneways, railways,
airports, recreational areas, quarries and beaches.
Ineligible
Rate (%)
100
Areas of trees greater than 0.01ha (100m²).
100
Areas greater than 0.01ha (100m²) with a density
approximately 30%.
30
Areas greater than 0.01ha (100m²) with a density
approximately 40%.
40
50
5
Areas greater than 0.01ha (100m²) with a density
between 11% and 29%.
20
Areas greater than 0.01ha (100m²) with a density
approximately 50%.
Areas greater than 0.01ha (100m²) with a density
between 30% and 49%.
40
Areas greater than 0.01ha (100m²) with a density
approximately 60%.
60
Areas greater than 0.01ha (100m²) with a density
between 50% and 69%.
60
Areas greater than 0.01ha (100m²) with a density
approximately 70%.
70
Areas greater than 0.01ha (100m²) with a density
greater than 70%.
100
Areas greater than 0.01ha (100m²) with a density
approximately 80%.
80
Watercourses
100
Areas greater than 0.01ha (100m²) with a density
approximately 90%.
90
Areas greater than 0.01ha (100m²) with a density
approximately 100%.
100
100
Ineligible land where the area is greater than
0.01ha (100m²). This is land that is capable of
NOT IN
AGRICULTURAL being used for agriculture activity but, according
to the aerial photography, has been abandoned.
USE (NAU)
For example, fields adjacent to development sites.
100
68
100
Areas greater than 0.01ha (100m²) with a density
of 10% or less.
Bogs, swamps, reed beds, ponds, lakes, bodies of
water occupying an area greater than 0.01ha
(100m²).
INELIGIBLE
VEGETATION
(Scrub/bracken/
rush and mixed
vegetation)
TREES
Hedges greater than 2 metres wide.
Areas greater than 0.01ha (100m²) with a density
of 5% or less.
2.5
Areas greater than 0.01ha (100m²) with a density
between 6% and 20%.
13
Areas greater than 0.01ha (100m²) with a density
between 21% and 50%.
36
Areas greater than 0.01ha (100m²) with a density
greater than 50%.
100
INELIGIBLE
HEATHER
69
Annex 2
Terms of reference
Annex 3
List of other information guides available
BC1
Change of business details form
CwRS
Control with remote sensing
DA
Disadvantaged Land
DARD
Department of Agriculture and Rural Development
DOE
Department of the Environment
FB1
New farm business form
FML1
Force Majeure application form
GAEC
Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition
LFACA
Less Favoured Area Compensatory Allowances
LPIS
Land Parcel Identification System
LPIS Correction Form
Form to amend the MEA on your Field Data Sheet
LUs
Livestock Units
NIACA
Northern Ireland Agricultural Consultants’
Association
NIAPA
Northern Ireland Agricultural Producers’ Association
7. Cross-Compliance Verifiable Standards (Full Version).
These are available on the DARD website at:
www.dardni.gov.uk/Cross-Compliance
NICMS
Northern Ireland Countryside Management Scheme
8. Transfer of Single Farm Payment Entitlements Guidance Booklet
NIEA
Northern Ireland Environment Agency
OFS
Organic Farming Scheme
OTS check
On-the-spot check (inspections)
RICS
Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors
SAF 1
Single Application form
SAF 2 (also known as Field
Data Sheet)
Field Data Sheet
SAF 3
SAF amendment form (for use after application has
been submitted
SDA
Severely Disadvantaged Land
UFU
Ulster Farmers’ Union
70
List of other information guides available
Further information can be found in the following Guides. These are available on the
DARD website at www.dardni.gov.uk/grants-and-funding
1. Guide to Land Eligibility (including 2013 Update)
2. Guide to the Single Farm Payment Scheme.
3. Less Favoured Area Compensatory Allowances (LFACA) Scheme 2015
Explanatory Notes.
4. Countryside Management Scheme 2007 - 2013 Information Booklet.
(this booklet does not relate to agreements that started before
31 December 2007).
5. Organic Farming Scheme Information Booklet 2007 - 2013.
6. Cross-Compliance Verifiable Standards Summary
(revised 1 January 2014)
71
Guide on getting your FDS right
Check your MEA do
not assume it is
right. Do not claim
more than the MEA
unless you are sure
column F is wrong.
The MEA is our
assessment of the
eligible area of your
fields but you need
to check if there are
other ineligble areas
that we have not
taken into account.
It is not enough to
score a line through
the FDS to correct
the MEA. You must
complete and return
a LPIS correction
form.
Why not give the paper application a miss and apply ONLINE this year?
It reduces your chances of error and simple mistakes can be sorted as you go along. See Section 3.
The FDS has been pre-populated for most businesses in 2014. Make sure you check all the information is correct.
Business Name:
Business ID:
IACS/2014 Single Application: Field Data Sheet (SAF2)
If you claim for
ineligible areas and
we later find these at
inspection you claim
will be reduced and
you may be
penalised
WARNING: PENALTIES MAY APPLY FOR OVER or NON DECLARATIONS INCLUDING DUPLICATE FIELDS AND OTHER INACCURACIES
Before you complete this form, please read the advice in the
guidance booklet included in your application pack
Field Parcel Information
2014 Eligible Land Use
Farm Survey No.
Field No.
Total Field Area (ha)
Land Status
O = Owned
C = Conacre
L = Leased
A
B
C
D
Land Type
1 = SDA
2 = DA
3 = LL
Claim Details
Maximum Eligible Area
Eligible Use
(use code list)
Eligible Area
Activated for SFP
Entitlements
Eligible Area claimed for
LFACA 2015
F
G
H
I
E
1
Where Columns G,
H + I have not been
populated, complete
these columns using
black ink and write
clearly in the boxes.
Do not use
correction fluid.
Record all fields to
two decimal places.
2
Nitrates Action
Programme (NAP) You must declare all
land farmed
including owned,
taken in conacre or
leased which is to be
used, or likely to be
used, for compliance
with the NAP
columns A to E.
3
If you received an
on-the-spot check in
2013, you are
strongly advised to
use the areas shown
on the inspection
report when
completing columns
H and/or I unless you
are sure these areas
have changed since
the OTS findings.
4
5
6
7
If there is more than
one eligible land use
you should record
each code on a
separate line in
column G and record
the corresponding
area in columns H
and/or I. You do not
need to record
ineligible land use
code.
72
8
9
TOTAL
H
I
Total Carried
Forward
Sheet No ............................... of ..............................
• If you are uncertain about any aspect of this Field Data Sheet you should contact
the Department at Orchard House, 40 Foyle St, Derry/Londonderry, BT48 6AT. Telephone 0300 200 7848 for assistance.
Signature ................................................................................................
Form SAF2
The total of columns
H and/or I should be
the same as the total
Hectares you claim
at Questions 1 + 3 of
your SAF1
73
74
75
76
ISBN 978-1-84807-456-9
DMS 13.14.199