To date 2016 payments valued at over €127.5m have issued to over 96% of GLAS I and II participants due a payment in 2016.

Additional information or outstanding documentation has been requested and is awaited in approximately 1,000 further cases. Payments are issuing on a weekly basis as cases are cleared.

These figures represent the initial 85% GLAS payment, with the balancing 15% payment yet to be issued to farmers. According to the Department of Agriculture, all 36,700 active GLAS I and II applicants are required to submit a Nutrient Management Plan (NMP).

This is a core requirement under the scheme. NMPs must be submitted before the 15% GLAS balancing payment can be made to participants. To date, 16,500 have been submitted for GLAS applicants.

The Department says GLAS balancing payments to participants can only be made when the NMP is submitted.

“These payments are scheduled to commence in the coming weeks,” a Department spokesperson confirmed.

Dry stone walls

With the long summer days now here, it could be an ideal chance to do some stone wall maintenance.

Farmers participating in GLAS who choose the traditional dry stone wall maintenance action, must maintain all the walls entered in the scheme from the commencement of the contract to the end of the GLAS contract.

The GLAS specification is to maintain traditional freestanding dry stone walls by replacing stones that may have fallen off the top of the wall or repair walls if/where stones have fallen down.

Walls that have fallen or partly collapsed must be rebuilt in the same style as other walls in the locality. Walls built with mortar are not eligible for the action.

The objective of this action in GLAS is to maintain and enhance the network of traditional freestanding dry stone walls, increase biodiversity and visually enhance the landscape.