Taking the biss

RockOrBog · 16-03-2024 10:27pm #1

So I've decided to go it alone without the planner this year and am going to try to do the online payments application myself. I pulled out of acres CP in November so if I can do this stuff myself then I won't need to be paying him at all this year.

I've managed to login to Agfood, eventually. Straight away I've seen a list of "Authorised Applications"

One of these is "Basic Income Support for Sustainability" I'm fairly sure I need to apply for this. But then there are other payments which I'm not so sure about, I know I used to get a payment called ANC but I think that has been changed to another name? They payments are so fragmented now it's hard to understand. I suppose I could ring Castlebar and they would tell me the names.

Maybe all the payment applications are under BISS?

Also this week I got a text message saying I have an item of online correspondence : overclaim letter and to login to Agfood for details. I'm guessing I can find out what the story is here... Online...

Any pointers??

MIKEKC · 16-03-2024 10:45pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058341569/taking-the-biss

I don't mean this in a negative way but you seem very unsure how the schemes work. The fact that you think the ANC. Has changed points to this .It's so important to get this right I feel the money spent on advisor would be money well spent. Hard to see why you pulled out of Acres do as there is a good payment from cp

RockOrBog · 16-03-2024 11:01pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121903564#Comment_121903564

I've noticed since it's still called ANC. I found the scheme names from last year in Financial Services.

It's very easy to ring the department when I've done the applications to make sure it has been done right.

I've no intention of paying a planner this year to tick a few boxes I'll tick them myself.

lmk123 · 16-03-2024 11:08pm

Seriously thinking of doing the same myself but am afraid I’ll miss one of the boxes to tick and end up a lot worse off, I do think that they take the p*ss a bit with their charges for some tasks, like most other things in this country there doesn’t seem to be much competition between them price wise, most of them seem to have very similar prices, amazing the way that seems to happen more and more

mr.stonewall · 16-03-2024 11:31pm

The application for biss and ANC is relatively straightforward if there is no changes from year to year. Applying for anc is done in the biss application and it is one box to tick. Have been doing it for years myself and the planner is only engaged with if there is a change with mapping needed.

For most folks who have no changes needed it's hard to fathom why they don't do it themselves. In April and May DAFM run clinics for people to go through applications. It might be a worthwhile exercise to do a draft application on agfood and go to a clinic to get DAFM staff to give it the once over

A lot of the other schemes are easier to apply for, such as the beef welfare schemes, liming ,red clover etc.

RockOrBog · 16-03-2024 11:37pm

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121903776#Comment_121903776

Great advice I'll definitely do that thanks

Siamsa Sessions · 17-03-2024 9:07am

I do my own agfood/scheme stuff here - it’s fairly straightforward.

As advised above, make a start on your application, see how far you get, and then go to a Dept clinic to finish off. Even if you get thru all the steps, maybe just click Save rather than Submit, and then get the Dept to check it for you at the clinic.

When it’s done then, write down what you did step by step. It’ll be 12 months before you have to do it again and chances are you’ll forget the process.

MIKEKC · 17-03-2024 10:23am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121903642#Comment_121903642

Best of luck with it, it's just that it's so important to get it right.I always do it myself except last year with the new system.

Bass Reeves · 17-03-2024 10:34am

As @Siamsa Sessions posted the dept run clinics for Area Aid applications. You should attend one of these. The biggest fear is often fear itself.

I did a TAMs applications last January. It was a bit tricky but It was fairly straightforward at the same time. It money for jam for advisors. However when scheme change you may need help the first time. Having said that I saw where an advisor made a f@@kup last year and did not put an area of wood back into an area aid applications and worse it was an SAC.

Teagasc do a club membership which is about 150 euro for smaller farms. It covers area aid applications, some telephone advice and they will also do scheme applications which you pay for but you pay anyway no matter the service level you are on with them

farmqi28 · 17-03-2024 11:15am

For people who do their own BISS application, how do they manage when they need advisor for ACRES? My thinking is their old advisor will huff when they aren't getting money from them annually.

amacca · 17-03-2024 11:22am

You cant be in acres without an advisor afaik

But OP mentioned they dont want to be in Acres so they are free to submit their applications without advisor hufgibg I presume

Sheep breeder · 17-03-2024 11:38am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121904291#Comment_121904291

Write down the different steps on paper for next year and easy to follow,

MIKEKC · 17-03-2024 11:46am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121904545#Comment_121904545

This is why I let the advisor do the BISS last year .Had to get him for ACRES

mr.stonewall · 17-03-2024 11:57am

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121904545#Comment_121904545

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/121904565#Comment_121904565

You need the advisor for the acres plan and scoring if appropriate to you. If your current advisor is getting the huff over not getting the cream, leave them hungry and find an advisor that will do it. Have a peck around biss on agfood and start a draft application. Get the DAFM clinic to check it and submit. Then email the said advisor as say no need to do it this year as I have done it myself.

The biggest issue with acres plans was folks meeting the planner and not having a bit of ground work done on actions that would suit them. When I did the plan I was in and out from the advisor in less than 20 minutes, I had the hit list of where stuff was going and he added 2 simple actions that I hadn't even considered. Paid him going out the door and he had no other work to do. Same with some mapping issues, for splitting a parcel for red clover and peas and oat, sent a Google maps images with the changes I needed drawn on it via email sorted over 2 emails and both happy.

Advisors are milking farmers galore, tams is a prime example. I did 5 jobs in tams2 and did them myself, applications and claims. I got an inspection on one job and it came down in conversation that less than 5% of farmers do there own tams and scheme work.

I would encourage people here to do a quick tot on what the have spent last year on advisors, leaving acres aside and for many it would be a big help to hold onto that money to mind the bottom line.

As I have said a few times. Taking a bit of time to read the T+C's of all schemes is important. An example is the owl box in acres, means you can use rat bait for the duration of the scheme