Some €13.4m is to be refunded to farmers from money deducted from their Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments in 2017.

Approximately 98,000 farmers will benefit from the money which was used to create a financial crisis reserve for the EU.

Deduction

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Under a financial discipline rule, a deduction is made from direct payments every year and if the fund is not used, the money is refunded to farmers the following year.

For 2018, the deduction was set at 1.4% from direct payments.

Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said he was pleased to confirm the reimbursement of the money.

The total paid to farmers under the 2018 BPS now stands at €1.19bn.

The crisis reserve is intended to provide additional support for the agricultural sector in the case of major crises affecting agricultural production or distribution.

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