Printable versionIn total nearly a third of Welsh farmers used the new system in its first year. Over 5500 Welsh farmers have embraced the Welsh Government’s new online service which is well above the expected take-up.
The Minister said that 5569 farmers or agents had chosen to use the new Rural Payments Wales online service to submit their Single Application Form in the system’s first year of operation, and that this equated to 32% of the applications received so far.
Alun Davies said
“I am delighted and extremely encouraged that this year over 5500 farmers chose to use our new Rural Payments Wales online service to submit their Single Application Form.
“This means 32% of applicants so far have used the service. It is an excellent start and compares very favourably with the position in England where 16% of Single Application Forms were submitted electronically in the first year of the new system.
“The Welsh Government has invested £7.9 million to establish this new, modern service. We have done this because we are determined to simplify and improve the payment application process for all concerned.”
The Minister said the new system would help reduce errors at the application stage and provide further protection for farmers against delays and penalties.
It is another example of the Welsh Government’s positive response to Gareth Williams’s Working Smarter review, which aims to reduce bureaucracy for farmers in Wales and allow them to focus on the business of farming.
The Minister said he expected all CAP payment
application processes to be available online only by 2016 and would make
sure the necessary support was available to prevent anyone from being left
behind in the move to online services. He also said local clinics would
be set up so that farmers could access the new system in a supported
environment and benefit from hands-on training.
The Minister added:
“I wish to thank the many farmers, the farming unions and agents who worked with Rural Payments Wales to develop the Rural Payments Wales system. Their positive engagement and suggestions were invaluable and helped ensure our system is as easy to use as possible.
“The collaborative approach, and the time and effort that many have given to this project, has resulted in a first class outcome for farmers and a model of partnership working that I am keen to see expanded.”
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