The deadline for Basic Payment Scheme applications is round the corner, and from May 15 onwards, applications will be subject to penalties.

This year's forms must be submitted before the deadline together will all relevant supporting documents in order to avoid penalties.

West Country Rural's Lizzie Burton MRICS FAAV is helping clients to prepare and submit Basic Payment Scheme applications to the Rural Payments Agency ahead of the May 15 deadline.

The company are advising anyone applying to the scheme to review their online mapping, which may have been altered by the RPA without any reason.

Incorrect amendments to the online mapping have to be reversed by submitting an RLE1 form, which must be handed in to the RPA with a hard copy before the May 15 deadline to avoid penalties.

The company are also buying and selling Basic Payment Scheme entitlements for clients across the country, currently at a rate of around £150 per entitlement, although the market is fluctuating daily.

Farmers under 40 years of age are are eligible to claim for the young farmer scheme top up of 25 percent, but they need to complete a new 2018 young farmer form.

More than 3000 farmers across the UK are still waiting for their BPS payments from 2017, although 95 percent of eligible farmers have received their payments.