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A senior DAERA official has urged NI farmers to complete Single Applications Forms early to avoid a delay to payments later this year.
Speaking at Stormont’s agriculture committee, DAERA’s head of food and farming Norman Fulton discussed the possibility of extending the application deadline due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“At this stage, we are not planning any extension beyond 15 May, but that is something that we will have to keep under review. If we delay this into June or early July, then you are into the projected peak of the outbreak and a worse situation,” Fulton said.
If we delay this into June or early July, then you are into the projected peak of the outbreak and a worse situation
He said that a deadline extension would make it more difficult for DAERA to issue payments in October and pointed out that a force majeure process is available for anyone with a late application due to exceptional circumstances.
Fulton is also urging farmers to consider how their business will operate if they become sick with coronavirus.
“We would encourage farmers to think about ‘what if I wasn’t able to do what I’m doing today’ and ‘what arrangements am I putting in place to ensure livestock are looked after’,” he said.
DAERA offices
Meanwhile, with most DAERA staff now told to work from home, the Department is in a state of flux at the moment. Farmers should not go directly to their DAERA Direct office, but instead make contact by phone or email.
The phone number for general queries is 0300 200 7840, and for area-based schemes, farmers can email areabasedschemes@daera-ni.gov.uk. The SAF Advisory Service can normally be contacted on 0300 200 7848, but at present, this number is not being answered by an adviser.
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