Rural Payments and Services

A record number of farmers, crofters and land managers have submitted their Single Application Form online.

17,398 (88%) of submissions received by the application deadline for support under the Common Agricultural Policy’s (CAP) Pillar 1 and 2 schemes were submitted online – representing a 10% increase on the previous year.

Welcoming the increase, Rural Economy Secretary Fergus Ewing said:

“I am delighted that more farmers, crofters and land managers than ever before have chosen to submit their Single Application Form online."

“This move is to be encouraged, which is why I am also pleased that 43% of customers who submitted a paper application last year have made the switch online this year."

“The record number who chose to apply online have benefited from having their application automatically checked for errors – reducing the risk of financial penalties and enabling their application to be validated straight away.”

Background

As at midnight on 15 May 2018 a total of 19,579 farmers, crofters and land managers had submitted a Single Application Form.

The Single Application Form (SAF) allows the Scottish Government's Rural Payments and Inspections Division (RPID) to administer Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) support.

It is the form that farmers and crofters must submit to claim payments under a number of different schemes.