MORE than 22,500 farm businesses have registered for the new online Rural Payments service for the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS).

On Wednesday (Feb 4th) the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) announced that registration is now open to all farmers and landowners who wish to claim rural payments.

The service has been introduced gradually, with small groups at a time being invited to register to ensure it was working well. In January the number invited grew significantly and has now been thrown open to all those eligible.

The latest figures show that by Monday, (February 2) nearly 21,000 customers and agents had registered, representing more than 22,500 farm businesses. The overwhelming majority had confirmed their business details and issued the correct permissions for others to act on their behalf.

Emma Appleby, RPA design director, said: "The new Rural Payments online service is the only way to claim your money this year so you need to make sure you register. This applies to everyone who wants to make a claim, even those previously registered for the former Single Payment Scheme (SPS), and we urge you to do it as soon as possible to give yourself time to complete it.

"The new digital Rural Payments service will make managing a claim simple and effective without the need to fill in paper forms. Farmers and landowners will be able to manage their land using interactive maps, give others permission to act on their behalf and apply for CAP schemes. There is a lot to do this year, but Rural Payments will mean that making a claim in subsequent years is really straight forward."

The |Agency accepts some claimants will need help applying online and has introduced several methods to help them including by telephone, through local farming and specialist IT organisations, and through 50 support centres throughout the country. See the options at gov.uk/ruralpayments or call the helpline on 03000 200 301.