Focus on area aid

New "shading" boxes for 2004 Area Aid applications

The 2004 Area Aid Applications, due out this week, contain a number of important changes.

- Farmers are asked to "shade" rather than tick the circles if he/she wishes to be considered for the different schemes. This change was made to speed up the scanning of the forms.

- All dairy farmers are asked to submit an Area Aid application this year in anticipation of decoupling.

- All farmers under 15 livestock units are asked to submit an Area Aid application in 2004, again in anticipation of decoupling.

- Land eligibility for tillage crops will apply again in 2004. All land eligibility transferred in previous years reverts to the previous parcel. If you wish to grow arable crops in a non eligible plot than you must transfer eligibility again this year.

More next week.

Early April payout for 20% Premium balances

It is likely to be early April 2004 before the remaining 20% balances for the 2003 Special Beef Premium, Suckler cow Premium and Slaughter Premium will be paid.

Up till 2003 these balances were payable from February but the new across scheme regime of penalties has delayed the payments till April.

The balancing payments have also been delayed by the fact that Special Beef Premium applications in December 2003 broke all records. Other outstanding payments include National Envelopes payments on ewes and heifers plus the 80% advance of the huge number of Special Beef Premium claims made in December 2003.

This week's payment included 14,146 cheques to November 2003 Special Beef Premium applicants plus another 145 2003 Area Based Compensation payments.

2003 Slaughter Premium Quota exceeded?

The indications are that the Irish Slaughter Premium quota of 1.777 million head will be exceeded for 2003. Any excess will cause a cut in the &euro1;80 a head. However the cut is expected to come in at less than 5%.