More than €177m has been issued to 82,000 farmers under the Areas of Natural Constraints scheme, the Department of Agriculture has confirmed.

Of those farmers not yet paid, some have not yet fulfilled the necessary stocking rate criteria. However, they have until the end of the year to do so. Other farmers have “unresolved errors on their BPS/ANC application” and are engaged with the Department of Agriculture to resolve them.

ANC payments are being issued twice weekly as further cases become eligible under the scheme rules.