A report from the EU Court of Auditors has raised questions about the EU’s systems for mapping farm fields to make subsidy payments.

Auditors examining whether the Land Parcel Identification Systems (LPISs) in use in EU Member States were up to scratch noted that some maps in use in Scotland are more than 7 years old, raising the possibility that they are now out of date. They recommended that maps should be updated around every three years.

Mapping systems, which play a central role in delivering payments under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), were examined by auditors in Austria, Germany, Ireland, Poland and Scotland.

Overall, although the auditors found that the mapping systems in use play an important role in making sure payments are accurate, Nikolaos Milionis, who compiled the report for ECA said, “Weaknesses in the systems are affecting Member States’ ability to check the eligibility of land. Reliable data is essential to ensure payments are legal and regular.”

Aerial or satellite photos used in the member states were not always up to date or well-interpreted and only some of the LPISs were used with additional information on land ownership, to ensure that farmers were claiming for the right land parcels, and member states often weren’t looking at the cost effectiveness of their systems in order to design better checks.

Furthermore, auditors found that Member States had not yet upgraded their systems to meet the requirements of the latest CAP reforms from 2014. LPISs in a number of regions hadn’t been adapted for greening commitments, and some aspects hadn't been put into the computer system.

They also noted that some of the Commission’s efforts to simplify the LPIS rules under the latest CAP reforms had produced mixed results.

In Scotland, the team noted that there were “significant delays” in updating mapping imagery, due to staff shortages and identified ineligible areas registered as land parcels eligible for CAP payments; these included rocky areas and steep slopes without green cover, and woodlands claimed for as grazed areas, which visits to the area revealed weren’t grazeable.

However, they also praised the good practice of Scotland’s regulators in ensuring that any new parcels, changes in ownership or the right to claim on land parcels were supported by background documentation, signed by all parties in the exchange.

Issues with IT systems led to massive delays to CAP payments under the new 2015 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) this year in Scotland (and the wider UK). On 5th October, NFU Scotland asked the government to “draw a line under the 2015 payments debacle” by ensuring all outstanding payments to farmers and crofters were made by mid-month. At the start of October, it was estimated that over 600 claimants were still waiting for at least part of their CAP payment.

Making recommendations following its investigation, the ECA urged member states to commit to continually updating maps, visiting land that has been claimed for, measuring the cost-effectiveness of mapping systems and making sure LPISs are fit for use with the new CAP. They said regulators should identify, register and monitor ecological focus areas (EFAs), permanent grassland and new categories of land.

Auditors also made recommendations to the EU Commission.