In-person Mayo clinics for farmers' BPS application queries

THE Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue, has announced a schedule of in-person Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) clinics to assist farmers in making their BPS and the other related schemes applications online.

The first clinic takes place next Monday, April 4, in the Ellison Hotel, Castlebar, with a further clinic scheduled for Ballina in the Great National Hotel Ballina on April 12, both from 9.30 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Said Minister McConalogue: “During the Covid restrictions, my department was unable to run the clinics in 2020 and 2021. With the lifting of many of the restrictions, I am delighted to announce a return of these in-person clinics around the country where farmers can meet one-to-one with a department official and make their BPS application there and then.

“These clinics proved very popular with farmers in previous years and I am happy to announce the return of this service again this year.”

Some 24,000 farmers have already lodged their applications since the online facility opened in February.

The minister urged all farmers to submit their BPS application at the earliest possible opportunity before the May 16 deadline.

If farmers have already submitted their application for this year and they now want to take on additional land or change the crop type, they can log back in to agfood.ie to make any amendments but they must make sure they do so before the deadline of May 16.