Scotland’s Single Application Form (SAF) submission tally is set to reach the halfway point this week, Farm Minister Richard Lochhead has revealed.
With less than three weeks to go until the closing date of June 15, the Scottish Government has received 10,543 or 48% of the 22,000 SAFs expected this year.
This might seem a classic “cup half full or cup half empty” scenario.
Those who think the SAF cup is half empty will point to the one month extension already granted to Scotland’s farmers to fill in this vital form and wonder why it has taken so long to apply for their 2015 support payments.
Those who take the “cup half full” view, including Mr Lochhead, will point to the comparison with last year under the old system where only 22% of SAFs had been submitted three weeks before the deadline.
Mr Lochhead said: “Reaching the halfway point for SAF applications almost three weeks before the window closes is a significant milestone in this first year of the new Common Agricultural Policy (Cap).
“We have seen a real surge in the rate of applications since the major upgrade of the new Rural Payments and Services website at the start of the month. If this continues, we will be on track to receive all applications ahead of this year’s deadline, which has been extended by one month because of the complexity of the new system.
“We are implementing a very complex EU policy, and there have been some issues with the new system. I am grateful for the patience farmers have shown us as we work to iron these out.
“I continue to urge farmers and crofters not to delay registering for Rural Payments and Services and submitting their SAF as soon as it is finalised.”
Scotland’s chief agricultural officer, David Barnes, added: “Farmers and crofters should register for Rural Payments and Services and get their applications in as soon as they can, and not leave it until the last minute. We have a new, more complex policy this year as well as the new online system and so filling in the SAF may take longer than in previous years.
“I have been getting positive feedback about the improvements we made to Rural Payments and Services at the start of this month, although I know some people are still experiencing a few issues and my team continues to monitor and update the system.
“But if you need any help with your SAF, or encounter any issues, then support is available from local area offices.”
Out of the 10,543 SAFs submitted so far 60% have been online and 40% on paper. This is a very similar proportion to last year. Of the 21,730 SAFs submitted in 2014 it transpires that a massive 53% were lodged in the last week of the application window. Given the complexity of the new system and the risk of an online meltdown it would seem prudent to avoid that sort of brinkmanship this year.