Where 60% or more of the agricultural area in a townland is deemed ‘constrained’ using the new biophysical criteria, all of the land in that townland is included in the scheme.

A list of all the townlands that are eligible for ANC in 2019 is available on www.farmersjournal.ie.

All eligible ANC farmers will receive a letter from the Department shortly. Most of the ANC scheme criteria, such as stocking density, is expected to remain the same. ANC land that is under crops will now also be eligible for payment.

Applications

The application process for the ANC scheme will not change. When making a BPS/ANC scheme application, tick the box on the home page to indicate you are applying for the ANC Scheme.

If you forget to tick the box and you have eligible land under the ANC scheme, the online system will give you a reminder to go back and tick the box.

The Department will send the terms and conditions of the scheme directly to all eligible farmers in the new year.

Queries can be directed to:

• ANC2019queries@agriculture.gov.ie

• Direct Payments Helpdesk at 0761 064420

• Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, ANC Section, Government Offices, Abbeyleix Road, Portlaoise, Co. Laois, R32 RPA6.