Another 10,000 farmers were paid €23m under the Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) this week. Processing issues around eligiblity have been curtailing payments.

Payments have not been issued where individual partners fail to meet scheme eligibility requirements at individual level, the Department of Agriculture confirmed this week.

In total, just over €140m has gone out to 67,000 eligible farmers since 23 September. This is still behind the €153m issued to 73,000 farmers in the week following the Ploughing last year.

Farmers who have yet to satisfy the annual average stocking density of 0.15 LU per forage hectare for the calendar year have until 31 December 2015 to do so.