CAP Deadline – Wales, Scotland, NI

Following the announcement of the BPS application deadline being extended by a month in England it is worth looking at what the other devolved regions of the UK are doing.

Wales has not yet made the announcement and is said to be ‘considering whether the option is worth implementing’. Wales has not introduced a new computer system.  The existing one is working well and with few issues being reported it seems unlikely that an extension will be announced.  Wales perhaps will be focussing on its payment regions and how the move from historic based payment to regional will work.

Reports from Scotland on the other hand paint a similarly dismal picture to England.  A deadline extension and perhaps a move to paper based applications is on the cards, an announcement is awaited.

Northern Ireland has announced that the deadline will not be extended stating that it is a familiar date and changing it could add confusion.  Farmers in Northern Ireland remain able to submit claims either online or on paper. With the Greening guidance still only in draft form maybe the application deadline is not the biggest issue here.