The total sum of money paid to farmers last week under the Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) was recorded at €777,115.

This is a reduction on payment rates in recent months, with payments commonly ranging from €1.2m to €1.4m on a weekly basis.

The reduction in last week’s payment figure is stemming from a reduction in the rate of applications being submitted for payment.

Total payments

Total payments now stand at €266.66m paid to 18,701 applicants.

There are over 1,000 payment claims currently being processed, with the total figure for payment applications standing at 19,749.

Applications for grant aid have also slowed, which is not surprising given tranche 21 is only recently opened and will remain open until 16 April.