The Department of Agriculture has requested permission from the European Commission to pay a 70% advance payment on the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS).

If approved, farmers would receive payments to the value of €840m from 16 October.

“The Department is consulting with the European Commission in relation to formally approving this request,” a spokesperson told the Irish Farmers Journal.

ADVERTISEMENT

The IFA and the ICMSA have said that the 70% advance payment is crucial for farmers following flooding in Donegal, difficult weather conditions and serious farm cashflow problems related to sterling fluctuations.

Ten other member states have been approved by Brussels to make a 70% payment.

The 10 member states are: Belgium, Czech Republic, Spain, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Portugal and Finland.

Read more

NI seeks 70% BPS advance to alleviate flood impact

Calls for income stabilisation measure in Budget 2018