To extend or not to extend the Single Application Form (SAF) deadline? That is the question the Scottish farming sector is asking itself.
European agriculture commissioner Phil Hogan this week granted member states the option to extend the deadline by one month to June 15.
The automatic reaction by most farmers is “yes, let’s do it” but advisers and government officials aren’t so sure that it’s in the best interests of the sector.
When asked what they planned to do, both Defra and the Scottish Government failed to say when they would let farmers know if they had decided to take up the option.
One official told me they were waiting for the commission to send them information, rather than proactively asking for it themselves. Now is not the time for that sort of attitude.
While all another could say was that their department “welcomed the news”.
Scotland’s chief agricultural officer David Barnes has put together a team to carry out a “full impact analysis so that the Scottish Government can take an informed decision” on the issue.
With the SAF application window now open, any news about a possible deadline extension is likely to make farmers push the SAF to one side in the hopes they will have more time to complete it at a later date.
With spring crops to get in the ground, cows to calve and ewes to lamb, sitting filling out a complicated form will not be top of the list. It’s human nature to put difficult tasks off, especially when we’re busy.
However, assuming government will definitely take up the option of an extended deadline is foolish.
The Scottish Government has been notoriously slow to get information about this new Common Agricultural Policy (Cap) out to farmers, due largely to the slow communication line between it and the European Commission.
You would be forgiven for thinking they were running carrier pigeons between the two departments – that might explain the excruciatingly slow process.
For now, farmers and crofters need to stick to Plan A – you have 55 days to complete your SAF by May 15.