Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS)

National IT system used by EU Member States to administer, control and audit Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) payments. In Malta, implemented by the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Animal Rights (MAFA) with the Agriculture and Rural Payments Agency (ARPA) as the paying agency.

IACS is made up of various components. The Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) is a geospatial database that maps and monitors agricultural parcels to confirm land eligibility. A Geospatial Aid Application allows farmers to digitally declare their land use, which is then verified against LPIS data. The system also incorporates data from Copernicus Programme Sentinel satellite missions. IACS is aligned with the INSPIRE directive ((EU) 2007/2) to enhance the interoperability and accessibility of geospatial data, making it easier for IACS data to be used in other domains.

Table of Contents

Purpose

  1. Ensure correct and traceable CAP payments.

    IACS ensures that direct payments and rural development payments are made correctly to eligible farmers, with full traceability of how public funds are used.

    It helps verify that:

    • land is eligible,
    • claimants are legitimate, and
    • no duplicate or fraudulent claims occur.

  2. Prevent fraud and protect EU financial interests

  3. Provide a standardized system across the EU.

    IACS offers a unified framework for all member states to administer CAP payments in a consistent and comparable way, enabling coordinated monitoring and reporting across the EU.

  4. Maintain accurate agricultural land and animal records

    IACS includes tools such as:

    • Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS)
    • Geospatial Aid Applications
    • Farmer and animal identification systems

    This ensures accurate measurement, eligibility checks, and updated records as land is transferred or reconfigured.

  5. Support environmental, climate, and agricultural policy monitoring

    The system feeds high‑quality data to EU policymakers to assess: - environmental performance, - climate impacts, - progress towards the European Green Deal, - using datasets such as Copernicus satellite imagery.

  6. Reduce administrative burden through digital tools

    IACS relies on digital databases, GIS mapping, remote sensing, and online application processes to: - streamline farmer applications, - support automated checks, - increase efficiency for both farmers and paying agencies.

Business value

Automates eligibility checks, selection and payment workflows; maintains full audit trails for regulatory compliance; supports bulk imports and large-scale spatial analysis to drive programme decisions.

Who uses it

Paying agencies, national/regional authorities, inspection/audit bodies and the European Commission for monitoring.

Legal role: Mandatory under CAP rules to demonstrate correct use of EU funds and to provide data for EU audits and reporting.

Stakeholder How They Use it
Farmers Submit aid applications, declare land via LPIS‑linked tools
Paying Agencies Run controls, conduct inspections, issue payments
European Commission CAP monitoring, annual reporting, performance tracking
National Administrations Maintain LPIS, animal registries, land databases
Environmental & Statistical Bodies Use data for Green Deal tracking, statistics, climate monitoring
Researchers (Indirect) Analyse harmonized EU-wide land use & farm datasets
Contracts Investment contracts and PSR projects

How it works

Farmers submit aid applications; IACS cross-checks declarations against registers, remote sensing and databases, runs automated checks and schedules inspections, then authorises payments or triggers follow-up.

Workflow Summary:

  1. Collecting applications digitally
  2. Mapping and validating agricultural land via LPIS
  3. Running automated eligibility and fraud-prevention checks
  4. Performing physical and remote inspections (GIS/satellite verification)
  5. Maintaining accurate land, farmer, and payment records
  6. Issuing payments once all controls are satisfied
  7. Reporting performance data back to the EU

This combination of technology, satellite imagery, databases, and administrative checks ensures that CAP payments are fair, accurate, and transparent.

How it works in practice

  1. Farmers Submit Their Aid Applications Each year, farmers submit their applications for CAP payments through an online portal.

  2. Land Parcels Are Identified via LPIS

    • Each parcel is identified uniquely and linked to its location, boundaries, and area.
    • Data is derived from aerial imagery, orthophotos, and satellite data, including imagery from the Copernicus Sentinel missions.
    • LPIS ensures that the land is eligible and prevents multiple claims on the same parcel.

  3. Automatic Cross‑Checks and Administrative Controls.
    Once an application is submitted, IACS performs automated administrative checks using its integrated digital components. These checks verify:

    • The applicant is a registered farmer.
    • Whether land parcels exist and are eligible.
    • Whether declared areas match LPIS measurements.
    • Whether any duplicate claims exist for the same land.

  4. On‑the‑Spot and Remote Sensing Checks. Paying agencies (e.g., ARPA in Malta) carry out physical inspections and remote sensing checks:

    • Inspectors visit farms to verify land use, livestock numbers, and compliance.
    • Remote sensing (satellite imagery) is used to confirm land condition, crop type, and boundaries.
    • EU rules allow a measurement tolerance (e.g., 5% of parcel area) to account for mapping variation.

  5. Integrated Databases Support Verification

  6. Data Updating and Land Changes
  7. Payment Decision and Disbursement
  8. Performance Monitoring and Reporting to the EU

Common Agricultural Policy structure

The CAP is structured around two main pillars:

Batch, ETL and staging

Pillar I: Direct payments and market measures

Financed entirely by the European Agricultural Guarantee Fund (EAGF):

  • Direct payments to farmers (income support, eco-schemes)
  • Market support (crisis measures, export refunds)
  • Focus: Income stability, basic standards, food security

Pillar II: Rural development

Co-financed by EU and Member States via the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD):

  • Agri-environment-climate schemes (AECC)
  • Farm modernisation
  • Young farmers support
  • Rural economy diversification

Financial aid schemes (2025)

Direct payment schemes 2023-2027

Scheme Description
BISS Basic Income Support for Sustainability (replaced BPS)
PSF Payment for Small Farmers — €250/year fixed payment for farms 0.3–1.0 ha
CISYF Complimentary Income Support for Young Farmers
CIS Coupled Income Support (Dairy, Beef, Sheep, Tomatoes)
ES1-ES6 Eco-Schemes for environmental practices

Eco-Schemes

See Glossary: Eco-Scheme for detailed breakdown of ES1–ES6.

Agri-environmental climate commitments 2023-2027

AECC (formerly AECMs) — voluntary measures for environmental and climate objectives.

Areas with natural constraints

ANC 2023-2027 — payments for farming in challenging areas.

Land registration

Agriclaim vs Agridec

In Malta, two land registration statuses are managed by ARPA:

Status Description
Agriclaim Land actively farmed and eligible for subsidies and EU funding
Agridec Cultivated land not registered for subsidies

To switch from Agridec to Agriclaim, farmers submit documentation to ARPA (typically July–August).

Parcel identification (CSP)

A parcel (particella) is identified by three values:

Code Name Description
C Council Municipality code (e.g., QNDO)
S Sheet (Foglio) Neighbourhood subdivision
P Particella Unique parcel number within sheet

Parcel data stored in SITIPART and TPARCELS_MANAGEMENT. Farmer-parcel relationships stored in SITICOND.

Core components

  • Farmer and land parcel registers (LPIS)
  • Application intake
  • Eligibility and cross-compliance checks
  • GIS/satellite verification
  • On-the-spot inspection management
  • Payment execution
  • Audit trail

Module documentation

Module Description
Applications Application intake, validation and processing
Commitments Multi-annual commitments (AECC, M11, ANC)
Contracts Investment contracts and PSR projects
Payments Payment authorisation and execution
Crop Plan Land use declarations and GIS parcels
Entitlements BPS payment rights management
Controls Administrative and on-the-spot checks
Selection Sample selection and risk analysis
Workflow Process engine, tasks and rules

Reference

Page Description
Acronyms Abbreviation definitions
Glossary Term definitions and Italian translations

Schema summary

Object Type Count
Tables 3,946
Views 370
Packages 236
Package Bodies 233
Functions 262
Procedures 124
Triggers 44
Indexes 3,188
Sequences 2,062
Types 503
Jobs 29
  • Schema Name: FASCICOLO
  • Platform: Oracle 12.2.0.1.0
  • Character Set: AL32UTF8
  • Design: Domain-oriented schema with tables grouped by functional area (applications, parcels/GIS, commitments, contracts, payments/claims, batch processing, logging, reference data, workflows/rules).
  • Data Flow: Data is ingested via batch/import tables, validated via rules/workflows, linked to parcel and entitlement records, then moved into processed tables used for selection and payments.

Domains

Applications and forms

Intake, validation and storage of application and form submissions; supports versions, attachments and declaration staging used downstream by selection and payments.

TAPP_*, TQDO_*, DOM_* — stores incoming applications, form data, and declaration records.

Parcels and GIS

Spatial parcel records, parcel-to-declaration mappings, usage layers, and parcel event logs used for spatial eligibility, mapping and GIS analyses.

PARCEL_INFO_LOG, UTILIZZO_GIS, T_DU_*, TQDO_DES_PC_DESTINAZIONE — linking applications to spatial parcels and usage metadata.

Selection and simulation

Selection algorithms, temporary simulation tables and scoring data used to run beneficiary selection and scenario analysis.

TSEL_*, TSEL_SIM_* — selection logic and simulation runs used to choose eligible beneficiaries.

Payments and titles

Title generation, claim processing, payment calculations, disbursement status and reconciliation data used by finance and audit teams.

TTIT_*, PAY_*, TQDO_PSR_* — titles, claims, and payment-related records.

Batch, ETL and staging

Staging and batch tables for bulk ingestion, transformations, batch-run metadata and intermediate processing steps.

TBAT_*, BULK_MOVE_APPS*, many *_BATCH_* tables — used for bulk loads, staged processing and batch runs.

Rules and workflow engine

Business rule definitions, validation logic, execution logs and workflow state machines that drive automated checks and approvals.

TRUE_DEF_*, TRUE_LOG_RULE*, TWOR_* — rule definitions, execution logs and workflow state tracking.

Logging and auditing

Execution logs, rule-check results, print/report logs and audit trails for regulatory compliance and incident investigation.

TRUE_LOG_RULE_CHECK, TBAT_BATCH_LOG, TSCHEDA_*, TSTAMPA_* — large operational logs and audit history.

Reference data and lookups

Centralized dictionaries, code lists and configuration tables used across domains for consistent lookups and mappings.

DICTIONARY*, *_DEF_*, ATECO_* — metadata, code lists and domain reference data.

Reporting and printing

Tables storing report outputs, print run details and export artifacts used by reporting services and document generation.

Integration and interfaces

Tables and logs handling inbound/outbound integrations, API exchange buffers and interface error records.

Administration and security

User, role and configuration tables that govern access control, application settings and operational metadata.

Legacy, archive and temporary

Deprecated, archival or temporary structures kept for migrations, historical snapshots or roll-forward/rollback scenarios.

Core tables by domain

The following tables represent the highest-volume operational tables in the schema (row counts from dictionary statistics):

Farm registry and subjects

Table Description Rows
TFASCICOLO Farm registry (dossier per holding) 33,920
TSOGGETTO (via views) Legal/physical person subjects –
TPERSONA Person details 4,695
TSCHEDA_FASCICOLO Dossier forms/cards 764,749
TATTO_FASCICOLO Acts associated with dossiers 69,618

Applications (Domanda)

Table Description Rows
TDOM_DOMANDA Main applications/claims table 1,852,236
TDOM_MOVIMENTO_V1 Application workflow movements 2,184,580
TDOM_CHECK_ESITO Check/validation results 4,363,648
TDOM_CLC_REGISTRO Calculation register 2,764,547
TDOM_CNT_REGISTRO Control register 487,612
TDOM_SCHEDA_MODULO Form definitions 5,878
TDOM_LOG_TRANSITION Workflow state transitions 247,648
APPLICATION_LISTING_INFO Application summary view data 151,050

Commitments (Multi-annual)

Table Description Rows
TCOM_COMMITMENT Multi-annual commitments (AECM, M11, LFA) 114,789
TCOM_COM_PARTICELLA Parcels under commitment 1,589,667
TCOM_COM_ARBOREO Tree crop commitments 135,904
TCOM_COM_DOMANDA Claims on commitments 69,786
TCOM_COM_CONTRATTO Commitment contracts 19,356
TCOM_LOG_MOVIMENTO Commitment workflow log 108,666
TCOM_CNT_REGISTRO Commitment control register 295,190
COMMITMENT_PARCELS_INFO Commitment-parcel info (view data) 533,159

Contracts (RDP/Investment)

Table Description Rows
TCON_CONTRATTO Investment contracts 52,220
TCON_CONT_COMPONENTE Contract cost components 1,247,234
TCON_CONT_IMPORTO Contract amounts 47,297
TCON_CONT_RICEVUTA Contract receipts 34,237
TCON_LOG_MOVIMENTO Contract workflow log 49,989
TQDO_PSR_PROGETTO PSR project details 6,702
TQDO_PSR_IMPEGNO_PARTICELLA Project parcel commitments 1,393,031
TQDO_PSR_IMPEGNO_AZIONE Project action commitments 77,147

Crop plan and land use

Table Description Rows
TPIANO_COLTURE Main crop plan table 3,687,513
UTILIZZO_GIS GIS-based land use 1,612,649
T_DU_UTILIZZO_GIS_201594 Historical GIS use 1,372,579
TQDO_DES_PC_DESTINAZIONE Crop destinations 1,417,857
TQDO_DU_IMPEGNO_INTERVENTO Declared interventions 1,607,788

Livestock

Table Description Rows
TCAPO_ANIMALE Animal register 2,452,133
TALLEVAMENTO Livestock premises 16

Entitlements

Table Description Rows
TTITOLO Payment entitlements 360,909
TTIT_TITOLO Entitlement detail 53,067
TTIT_TITOLO_SOGG Entitlement-subject link 74,821
TQDO_DU_UTILIZZO_TITOLO Entitlement use 336,135

Payments and disbursements

Table Description Rows
TPAGAMENTO Payments 299,632
TELC_ELENCO_OGGETTO Payment list objects 595,552
TELC_FLUSSO_OBJ Payment flow objects 595,406
TELC_PAGATO Paid amounts 100,317
TEXP_DOM_LIQUIDAZIONE Liquidation export 593,730
TEXP_LOG_SMS SMS/payment logs 506,202

Calculations

Table Description Rows
TCLC_REGISTRO Calculation register 2,851,012
TCLC_LOG Calculation log 1,845,707
TCLC_DEF_VARIABILE Calculation variables 17,221
TCLC_RISULTATO_TOTALE Total results 213,024
TCLC_RISULTATO_DETTAGLIO Detail results 344,047

Controls and Checks

Table Description Rows
TCNT_LOG Control log 3,004,766
TCNT_REGISTRO Control register 792,371
TCNT_ANOMALIA Anomalies/errors 200,024

Extraction and Selection

Table Description Rows
TESTR_SIMULAZIONE_POPOLAZIONE Simulation population 480,887
TESTR_SIMULAZIONE_PESO_OGG Weighted objects 1,364,482
TESTR_PESO_OGGETTI_LOG Weight log 2,164,899
TSEL_SELEZIONE Selection runs 21,160
TSEL_LOG_POPULATION Population log 197,683

Rule engine

Table Description Rows
TRUE_LOG_RULE Rule execution log 430,005
TRUE_LOG_RULE_CHECK Rule check results 792,646
TRUE_DEF_RULE_LIB Rule library 164
TRUE_DEF_CHECK_LIB Check library 172

Pre-authorisation tasks

Table Description Rows
TPRE_LOG_TASK_ROUTINE Task routine execution 2,145,382
TPRE_LOG_TASK Task log 1,010,911
TPRE_DEF_TASK_LIB Task definitions 154
TPRE_DEF_ROUTINE_LIB Routine definitions 116

Workflow

Table Description Rows
TWOR_LOG_TRANSITION Workflow transitions 1,061,088
TWOR_DEF_WORKFLOW Workflow definitions 2,947
TGRAD_LOG_PUNTEGGIO_OGGETTO Ranking scores 5,952,954
TGRAD_LOG_GRAD_OGG Ranking objects 796,370

Import/Export

Table Description Rows
TIMP_REC_PIANO_COLTURE Crop plan imports 3,835,171
TIMP_REGISTRO Import register 1,315,777
TPRC_IMPORT_EXPORT Import/export log 1,389,576
TPRC_SMS SMS export 1,196,604

Printing and reporting

Table Description Rows
TSTAMPA_DETTAGLIO_LOG Print detail log 1,956,446
TSTAMPA_LOG Print log 296,482
PARCEL_INFO_LOG Parcel info log 932,232

Key foreign key relationships

The schema has 99 declared foreign key constraints. Key relationships include:

Child Table Child Column Parent Table Parent Column
TDOM_DEF_WORKFLOW_GROUP GROUP_ID TWOR_DEF_WORKFLOW_GROUP GROUP_ID
TDOM_SCHEDA_MODULO ELIGIBILITY_RULE TRUE_DEF_RULE_LIB RULE_ID
TRUE_DEF_RULE_CHECK RULE_ID TRUE_DEF_RULE_LIB RULE_ID
TRUE_DEF_RULE_CHECK CHECK_ID TRUE_DEF_CHECK_LIB CHECK_ID
TRUE_LOG_RULE RULE_ID TRUE_DEF_RULE_LIB RULE_ID
TPRE_DEF_TASK_ROUTINE TASK_ID TPRE_DEF_TASK_LIB TASK_ID
TPRE_DEF_TASK_ROUTINE ROUTINE_ID TPRE_DEF_ROUTINE_LIB ROUTINE_ID
TWOR_DEF_WORKFLOW GROUP_ID TWOR_DEF_WORKFLOW_GROUP GROUP_ID
TWOR_LOG_TRANSITION WORKFLOW_ID TWOR_DEF_WORKFLOW WORKFLOW_ID
TCOLTURA_IPM_PRINCIPLES ID_COLTURA TCOLTURA ID_COLTURA
TAGENDA_EVENT EVENT_TYPE_ID TAGENDA_EVENT_TYPE EVENT_TYPE_ID
TEUJ_JOURNEY_SECTION JOURNEY_CODE TEUJ_JOURNEY CODE
TEUJ_JOURNEY_SECTION SECTION_CODE TEUJ_SECTION CODE

(See full FK extract for complete list)

Key packages by functional area

Application processing

  • APPLICATION_ROUTINE_PCK — Application workflow routines
  • APPLICATION_CAPSP_PCK — CAP Strategic Plan applications
  • BPS_ROUTINE_PCK, BPS_RULES_PCK — Basic Payment Scheme
  • BPS_DOMANDA — BPS application processing
  • DOMANDA_PCK — General application package

Calculation packages

  • CLC_CALCOLO — Main calculation engine
  • BPS_CLC_CALCOLO — BPS calculations
  • DU_CLC_CALCOLO — DU (Single Application) calculations
  • DOM_CLC_CALCOLO — Domain calculations
  • PSR_CLC_CALCOLO — PSR/RDP calculations

Control packages

  • CNT_CONTROLLO — Main control package
  • BPS_CNT_CONTROLLO — BPS controls
  • COM_CONTROLLO — Commitment controls
  • CON_CONTROLLO — Contract controls
  • DOM_CNT_CONTROLLO — Domain controls
  • ANOMALIES_CHECK_PCK — Anomaly checks

Commitments

  • COMMITMENTS — Commitment processing
  • COMMITMENT_UTILS — Commitment utilities
  • COM_COMMITMENTS_UTILS — Commitment utilities

Contracts and PSR

  • CONTRATTO — Contract processing
  • PSR_QUADRO_PCK, PSR_QUADRO_PILLAR_II_PCK — PSR forms
  • PSR_CONTROLLO — PSR controls
  • CAP_SP_MA_RULES, CAP_SP_MA_TASKS — CAP SP rules/tasks

Extraction and selection packages

  • ESTRAZIONI_DOMANDE_MLT_PCK — Application extractions
  • ESTRAZIONI_FASCICOLI_MLT_PCK — Dossier extractions
  • ESTRAZIONI_CONTRATTI_MLT_PCK — Contract extractions
  • SELEZIONE_PCK — Selection package
  • SELEZIONE_CRITERI_DOMMLT_PCK — Selection criteria

Ranking

  • GRADUATORIA_PCK — Main ranking package
  • GRADUATORIA_DOMANDE_MLT_PCK — Application ranking
  • GRADUATORIA_CRITERI_CAP23_PCK — CAP 2023 ranking criteria

Payments

  • PAMS_UTILS_PCK — Payment utilities
  • EXPORT_LIQUIDAZIONE_PCK — Payment export
  • REIMBURSEMENT_PCK — Reimbursement processing

Import/Export packages

  • IMPORT_PCK — Import package
  • EXPORT_PCK — Export package
  • LOAD_FASCICOLO_PCK — Dossier loading
  • LOAD_LAND_USES_PCK — Land use loading

Workflow and rules

  • WORKFLOW_ENGINE_PCK — Workflow engine
  • RULE_ENGINE_PCK — Rule engine
  • PROCEDURE_ENGINE_PCK — Procedure engine
  • COMPUTE_ENGINE_PCK — Compute engine

Quick reference

For full definitions, see:

  • Acronyms — comprehensive abbreviation list with hyperlinks
  • Glossary — term definitions and Italian translations