The Rural Payments Agency has said more farmers opted to apply for their single payments online this year than ever before. The agency said on Tuesday that farmers had turned to the online application service “in their droves” for the 2012 scheme.

By 9th June, the final deadline for applications, over 105,000 applications had been received, of which 41 per cent (42,617) were submitted electronically. Of the electronically submitted SPS applications, more than a quarter (12,218) came from farmers and agents who were using online services for the first time, the RPA revealed.

The number of farmers using RPA’s own SPS Online service increased by 40 per cent, rising from 27,600 in 2011 to 38,539 in 2012. Overall, there was a 36 per cent rise in the number of farmers using electronic submission packages.

ll applicants can track the progress of their claim through to payment by registering with the online service, even if they did not apply online this year.

Justin Chamberlain, Customer Director at the RPA said of the shifting trend, “It’s clear to us that farmers appreciate the benefits of applying for Single Payment Scheme funding online. SPS Online highlights common errors so they can be corrected before the application is submitted. Farmers and agents get an instant receipt so they know it has arrived at RPA and the system saves information for the following year. Our customers tell us it is easy and quick to use.

“Farmers who haven’t registered to use RPA online services can still register so they can track the progress of their claim online, even if they applied on paper. Once registered, they can also view their recent Claim and Entitlements statements online.”

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