Payments worth €168.5m under the Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) are to land in farmers’ bank accounts this week.

Almost 79,000 farmers will be paid in the first run, an additional 2,000 farmers compared with this time last year.

It comes at a crucial time for most

While the overall ANC budget has been increased to €250m, farmers’ payments are to be split in two this year, with 15% being held back until December.

ANC payments represent the first of €1.6bn worth of payments that will be made to farmers under various schemes in the coming months.

It comes at a crucial time for most, as cashflow remains tight on many farms, particularly as protests continue at factories around the country.

Challenges

Announcing the payments, Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed said: “I am conscious of the many challenges currently faced by farmers and therefore the importance of the timely delivery of payments under the ANC scheme.”

The Minister said increased funding had been targeted to areas that faced the highest constraint.

He also confirmed that 70% of Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) money is on target to be paid from 16 October.

Not all applicants are cleared for payment straight away under the ANC scheme.

Many of those not paid have yet to satisfy the annual average stocking density of 0.15 livestock units per forage hectare.

Payment

These cases will be paid once the requirement has been confirmed as regular payments runs continue in the coming weeks.

Those with any outstanding stocking evidence should submit it to the Department’s Portlaoise office as soon as possible.

Minister Creed said: “The increased budget and higher annual payments represent a timely and significant financial boost for farmers and for the wider rural economy.

“My Department will continue to process, as a matter of urgency, all remaining cases for payment as they meet scheme criteria.”