Fears are easing that vast numbers of farmers will lose their Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) payment.

A major review of the ANC, formerly known as headage and the Disadvantaged Area Scheme, is ongoing across Europe.

As revealed in last week’s Irish Farmers Journal, a review of the ANC in Ireland must be carried out and approved by Brussels by the end of 2017 to ensure that farmers get their payments in 2018.

If the review is not completed, farmers will be subject to a 20% cut in the ANC payment in 2018.

The European Court of Auditors first called for a review of the ANC back in 2003 but successive CAP reforms decided against it. The latest CAP called for the review to be finalised and a new system put in place for 2018.

Draft maps

The Department of Agriculture is expected to publish draft maps showing what areas are disadvantaged and what areas are not by spring of 2017.

The Irish Farmers Journal can exclusively reveal that each country in Europe will be allowed flexibility to include land which European officials want to exclude. Countries can designate an area up to 10% of the size of its territory as areas of specific constraints. This means that the Department can add back in 10% of the land the European Commission would want removed. This was the approach used for the islands under the current ANC.

However, a portion of the 95,000 farmers in receipt of an ANC payment may still be excluded in the new scheme.