§ Lord Rotherwick asked Her Majesty's Government:
§ What are the arrangements for IACS (Integrated Administrative Control System) applications in England and Wales in 1997.
Lord LucasThe deadline for submitting IACS applications in 1997 will again be the latest possible date of 15th May. In England and Wales, the IACS explanatory booklets and forms will be issued in March. As in previous years, we have consulted closely with the agricultural industry on the documentation. The separate booklet and form for livestock farmers who have no interest in the arable area payments scheme, introduced last year, will be retained. Farmers will again receive a full printout of their last year's declaration of forage, arable and other land areas, which they must check carefully to ensure that all entries are still correct and on which they must enter any necessary changes, plus a copy of the printout for their retention. The latest date for applying for new field numbers, so that they can be returned in time for farmers to lodge their 1997 IACS applications, will be 1st March. Where changes to field boundaries occur after this date, applications for new field numbers should accompany the IACS application form. We strongly urge farmers to consider now whether they need new field numbers and not to leave applying for new numbers to the last minute.