GLAS is a voluntary Scheme and one of the requirements is that applications be prepared by approved planners. Around 700 planners attended GLAS Training and 348 of these have been fully approved as GLAS Advisers by my Department to date; the remainder are being approved on an ongoing basis once all qualifying criteria has been met and all required documentation has been submitted. This includes evidence of Professional Indemnity cover, a requirement which has specifically been put in place to protect farmers in the event that they have a legitimate claim against an adviser.
A list of approved advisers, with contact details, is available on the Department’s website for the convenience of farmers. This list is updated as soon as additional advisers are approved and I am confident that there are enough advisers available to allow farmers to make an informed choice as to who to use for preparation of their GLAS applications.
The choice of an approved adviser is a matter for individual farmers, or in the case of commonages is a matter to be decided by the shareholders. The charge for preparing applications and plans is strictly a contractual issue between the advisor and his/her client or clients and is not something my Department has a role in or is party to.
