Don't delay applying for ELS

The Rural Development Service (RDS) reminded farmers today that they can still submit Entry Level Stewardship (ELS) applications for the majority of their farms; they don't have to wait until outstanding issues with the Rural Land Register (RLR) on individual land parcels are resolved.

They encouraged farmers to submit applications now for the land that appears on their maps within the ELS application pack. In doing so, that land becomes eligible for ELS payments as soon as the application is processed and an Agreement commences. Any additional land parcels subject to RLR resolution could be added at a later date. There are two options for doing that:

* A separate application can be lodged just for the additional area of land. However, that would need to meet the points threshold in its own right so is unlikely to be appropriate for small areas of land. If the application were successful there would be two separate agreements on the same holding. That option is available now.

* It will be possible after the first payment round (1st February 2006 for Agreements that started on 1st August) for agreement holders to apply to restart their ELS agreement. By restarting their ELS agreement, applicants will need to complete new application forms and maps. The new ELS agreement will contain both the original and newly registered land.

Agreement holders will receive a pro-rata payment for the amount of land under the original ELS agreement and the first payment for the re-started agreement will be scheduled to be made six months later.

Applicants should contact their local RDS office where staff will be pleased to provide any further clarification on the options available. The final decision on the best course of action will need to be made by applicants in light of their individual circumstances.