Ireland was one of 10 member states approved this week by the Management Committee for Direct Payments to pay an advance of the Single Farm Payment (SFP).

Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith confirmed that approval was secured in Brussels for his request that provision be made for an advance payment in Ireland of the 2010 Single Payment.

The official ’green light’ means that Irish farmers will receive 50% of their SFP from 18 October, with the remaining 50% paid on 1 December.

Along with Ireland, farmers from Belgium, France, Greece, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania and Spain will receive the cashflow boost. Luxembourg farmers also look set to get an advance despite their application being in late.

The financial crisis and a subsequent decrease in income, stricter conditions to get credits in the agriculture sector, price fluctuations for certain agricultural products and adverse weather conditions (drought, storms, heavy rainfall with floods, cold and hot weather) were the main reasons that the different countries submitted as severely affecting farmers.

The Committee did stipulate that the necessary verification of eligibility conditions must be carried out before payment of the advances.