Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS) / IACS-GIS geographical information techniques
IACS (Integrated Administration and Control System) is a system introduced by the EU step by step to ensure the implementation of a uniform Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the EU Member States.
Market organisation premiums and payments for services as direct payments to farmers are the backbone of Austria’s agricultural policy. Most of these direct payments are made according to EU-wide uniform rules. In Austria, Agrarmarkt Austria (AMA, www.ama.at) ís entrusted with the organisation of the IACS payments (EU, federal and provincial funds).
To ensure efficient and proper use of aid funds, effective checks are required. This responsible task as well as the development and coordination of the IACS fall equally within the competence of Agrarmarkt Austria. The Chambers of Agriculture provide expert advice to applicants; they accept the aid applications and create the respective EDP-records.
IACS is continuously in development all over Europe; it represents a big challenge for the administrative and advisory systems in Austria and has meanwhile become a central information system on and for agriculture. The Austrian model of agriculture and the efficient handling of the IACS support measures are considered exemplary across the European Union.
IACS-GIS
As one part of IACS, the European Union has created a system for the identification of agricultural parcels. Another requirement is the mandatory use of computer-aided geographical information techniques (GIS), which includes also air photographs or satellite pictures.
In Austria, agricultural parcels are identified at the plot level (graphically and digitally) using the AMA farm maps (cartographic documents which comprise an air photograph and the graphical data of the individual parcels; www.eama.at). The task of identifying the eligible area in IACS-GIS (ensuring a high-quality digitisation of plots which reflects actual use) is an official responsibility with which the Chambers of Agriculture have been entrusted.