The Department of Agriculture is to spend €28m on computer systems, tender documents seen by the Irish Farmers Journal show.

Up to 77 contract staff selected by the Department of Agriculture will manage the computers handling farmers’ data including payments and inspections over the next three years.

Version 1 Software will be paid €14.5m to assist the Department in operating the direct payments projects, which covers the BPS, BDGP, ANC and Sheep Welfare schemes.

This will require 26 to 38 experts recruited for one to three years. With all farmers expected to submit their BPS applications online this year, a Department spokesperson said efforts would focus on making the system “as user-friendly as possible”. The contract covers preparations for the new CAP after 2020.

Version 1 Software will also receive €7.5m to maintain the Agriculture Field Inspection and Testing (AFIT) system, which collects the results of most on-farm inspections.

Mobile app to register calves

Meanwhile, Sabeo Technologies, will provide support, maintenance and enhancement for the Animal Identification and Movement System (AIMS). Improvements expected this year include a mobile application for calf registration, the ability to check an animal’s eligibility for export or register operations at knackeries and improved screens for users.

The tender to “rebuild” the geographical information system behind parcel maps failed to attract a successful bidder, leading the Department to conclude a negotiated contract with Version 1 Software instead. This system is at the centre of an ongoing EU audit that may land Ireland with hefty fines over payment claims on ineligible land.

The latest contracts do not cover the Generic Claims Processing System (GCPS), which supports the schemes worst hit by recent delayed payments including GLAS, TAMS, Knowledge Transfer and organic farming.

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