The county breakdown was given in a response to a parliamentary question table by Denis Naughton TD last week. The tables show at a county level the number of applicants, the number of applicants paid, the number of applicants not paid and the total amount paid to date under both the Basic Payments Scheme and the Areas of Natural Constraints.

It shows that Cork has the highest number of farmers not yet paid at 1,773 – 14.4% of all farmers in the county. The highest percentage not yet paid was in Dublin, where 18.5%, or 111 of the 499 farmers. Clare has the highest percentage of farmers paid. Just 454 farmers, or 7.8% out of 5,818, who submitted an application were unpaid on the date the numbers were recorded.

Looking to the Area of Natural Constraints payment, out of the 102,385 applications, just over 80,000 farmers have received payment. This leaves 22,123 to be paid, or 21.6%. However, around 5,000 of eligible farmers do not receive payment as they do not hit the required stocking rate. The payment to around 5,000 is delayed, as they have yet to hit the stocking rate required, but will do so in coming months.

Looking at a county breakdown, Dublin again has the lowest percentage paid at 70%, although there are just 46 of the 150 farmers eligible to be paid. In Monaghan, the figure unpaid is 17.1% – the lowest to be paid. The county where the most farmers are to paid is Galway at 2,803. This is 23.3% of all farmers in the county.

Minister Coveney said his Department is prioritising the processing of all such outstanding cases, with regular payment runs continuing over the coming weeks. Balancing payments of 27% will begin to issue from 1 December, with the final instalment (3%) due for payment in 2016.