Developing the electronic application software for agricultural subsidies (AS Digital)

As part of Rhineland-Palatinate’s and the Saarland’s cooperative relationship, it was agreed that the AS Digital software already used in the Saarland would be used in Rhineland-Palatinate too. This couldn’t be done on a 1:1 basis, though, since the two federal states use different area reference systems: Rhineland-Palatinate uses land parcels with overlying fields, while the Saarland only works with fields without assigned land parcels. Meta-Level was tasked with further developing the Saarland’s software AS Digital so that it could cope with both area reference systems and both federal states could work using the same software basis. Naturally, there are characteristic features in each federal state that had to be taken into account too. The software was ready in time for the 2015 application campaign and made available to over 4,000 pilot users, enabling them to prepare and submit their funding application electronically.

Further developing AS Digital in the application periods running from 2016 to date Since the 2016 application year, electronic application has been used across the board in the Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate. Around 20,000 farmers in both federal states can now efficiently submit their annual applications for agricultural subsidies to the EU electronically.