GLAS balancing payments for 2020 will commence ahead of schedule this week, with almost €27m set to be paid to over 43,400 farmers.

Announcing the payments, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue said there will be more farmers receiving their balancing payment at this stage than last year.

“The payments this week will issue to 90% of GLAS participants and will reach farmers' bank accounts this week,” the Minister said.

Total payments over the lifetime of the GLAS scheme are now just shy of €1bn.

The balancing payment represents the final 15% of the 2020 funding and completes the total payment for GLAS actions undertaken last year.

Payments will continue to issue in outstanding cases on a regular basis.

Queries

Farmers with queries in relation to GLAS have been encouraged to direct them by email to GLAS@agriculture.gov.ie.

A total of 95% of GLAS farmers chose to renew their participation in the scheme for a further year.

“The significant level of uptake ensures that the environmental dividends being delivered by GLAS Tranche 1 and 2 participants continue during 2021 and that GLAS payments will continue to issue to this cohort of over 33,500 farmers in respect of 2021,” Minister McConalogue said.

A further 13,000 farmers continue to participate in tranche three of the scheme for 2021, in accordance with their original contracts.