THE confusion and uncertainty over the Single Farm Payment was still very obvious this week.

Prof Allan Buckwell, chief economist for the Country Land and Business Association and widely accepted as one of the leading authorities on the scheme, told a large gathering of members in Darlington that there were still many unknown answers to questions.

"I suspect they will still not be known by the May 16 deadline," he told the meeting at Darlington Football Club's Williamson Motors Stadium on Tuesday.

Prof Buckwell and Colin Hedley, CLA conservation adviser, are on a nationwide tour to help talk members through filling in the Single Payment Scheme application form before the deadline.

An astonishing example of the confusion concerned the registration of land, which must be done to get SFP entitlements.

The meeting was told the SP5b field data sheet stated that "every parcel of agricultural land on your holding must be declared" and warned of penalties for non-disclosure. But, just two weeks ago, Prof Buckwell found this also appeared to include forestry and woodland, not previously understood to be the case.

He had immediately sought clarification but was still awaiting a reply.

He planned to raise it again yesterday at his weekly meeting with Defra but, in the meantime, advised applicants to enter all their land on the form to avoid the risk of penalties.

Questions from the floor revealed individuals' needs for clarification on a range of points and produced examples of conflicting advice from the Rural Payments Agency and Defra.

The Darlington venue was Prof Buckwell's 18th meeting since March. On Monday he was in Devon and Cornwall and on Tuesday morning his meeting near Doncaster had moved venue, owing to the overwhelming demand for places.

The CLA believes the next four weeks will probably be the busiest ever for its advisers as they are inundated with queries from farmers desperate to clarify what they need to do to fill in the all-important form.

On Tuesday Angus Collingwood-Cameron, CLA's North-East director, said the SFP was a major change for British agriculture and its unsettling effects on farmers should not be underestimated.

"As soon as the changes were announced, the phones started to ring, and they have been doing so ever since," he said. "We are pulling out all the stops to make sure we can give our members the best practical advice relevant to their individual circumstances up to, and beyond, the May 16 deadline.

"The complexity of the new system is underlined by the wide range of questions we are being asked. There is no common thread.

"I would advise any farmers who have not yet done so, to make sure they are familiar with the requirements of the new system, well in advance of the deadline, and, if they feel they need advice, to seek it from professional advisers as soon as possible. CLA members, of course, can continue to contact us."

Prof Buckwell urged members to ensure their regional CLA office had their e-mail address so updates could be sent