Just under 38,000 Transfer of Entitlements applications submitted by deadline

37,946 farmers applied online to transfer payment entitlements before the June 14^th, 2023, deadline, up by nearly 5,000 from 2022, writes farming journalist, Catherina Cunnane.

As previously reported by www.thatsfarming.com, the DAFM had initially set midnight on May 29^th, 2023, as the initial deadline, before extending this to midnight on June 14^th, 2023.

Department staff dealt with over 10,500 transfer query calls between May 1st and June 14^th, in addition to supporting through a number of email queries and assistance given to those attending the information sessions and clinics and in-person callers.

Transfer payment entitlements

In a statement, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue remarked:

“I am pleased to confirm that there were a large number of farmers making use of the facility to transfer unused payment entitlements to those who have a requirement for additional entitlements.”

“I am particularly pleased that so many people took advantage of the temporary removal of the clawback on the sale of entitlements without land.”

“We have seen an increase in sales from just over 1,300 in 2022 to just under 6,500 this year.”

“This will help to give stability and certainty to those who are actively farming.”

The minister added that “it is really positive that so many have applied before the deadline”.

This figure, he outlined, reflects the “massive effort” made by FAS advisors and the DAFM to assist farmers with their applications.

Letters to those who have applied for a transfer will begin to issue from August.

However, if you have any outstanding documentation relating to a submitted transfer, this can be uploaded as soon as it is available.”

Anyone who needs to upload supporting documentation for a transfer can do so at any time. This should be done online via AgFood.

There is no need to wait for an insufficient documentation letter to be issued by the DAFM, the statement concluded.

Deadlines:

Farmers should take note of the dates listed below, earmarked by the DAFM:

• ANC advance payments commence issuing to clear cases from October 17^th, 2023;
• BISS advance payments commence issuing to clear cases from October 24^th, 2023;
• Eco-Scheme advance payments commence issuing to clear cases from October 31^st, 2023;
• Balancing payments commence issuing to clear cases from December 1^st, 2023;
• Other scheme payments commence issuing to clear cases from November/December 2023 (again, no specified date);
• Official end of BISS 2023 scheme year – December 31^st, 2023.

Other key dates [BISS and related area-based schemes]:

• Land must be held from the beginning of the year until after May 31^st, 2023, or for a period before May 31^st, 2023, to December 31^st, 2023, for BISS and for the entire calendar year for ANC;
• Amend your application (no penalty) – June 14^th, 2023;
• Late application deadline (with a penalty) – June 23^rd, 2023;
• Preliminary check letters will issue (no penalty) – June 2023;
• Preliminary check date for response – July 5^th, 2023;
• Area Monitoring System (AMS) notifications will commence – June 2023.