According to John Convery, sales director with BIC Systems, the technical challenge was to integrate Web-based technologies with existing systems that were developed prior to the development of the Internet. The new architecture will allow other services to be added to the portal as they become available.
Convery said that the feedback from the 50 farmers who participated in the scheme was positive and that the Department is now considering the direction in which the project will proceed.
"A system which implemented on-line payments could be very successful," said Convery. "Times are tight in farming, and if you can improve farmers' cash-flow with electronic payments, then you're addressing farmers' needs."
The initiative is part of the UK government's Modernising Government Agenda, which aims to provide electronic delivery of public services. The DARD service provides a single integrated point of entry for farmers who wish to access government services.
In the Republic of Ireland, Minister of State at the Department of Finance Tom Parlon called on the Irish Department of Agriculture last November to allow farmers to fill out forms over the Internet. In a speech to the Irish Society for Information Technology in Agriculture (ISITA), Parlon said that the Department of Agriculture should follow the Revenue Commissioners' lead and introduce on-line form filling for direct payments.
Parlon, who is a former president of the Irish Farmers Association, told the gathering that he was committed to removing bureaucracy from farming and that putting the application process on-line would be a huge step forward for Irish agriculture.
Quelle: electricnews
