The number of farmers benefiting from the Farm Assist social welfare payment has dropped by 10% in 2021 compared to 2020, the Social Welfare Services annual report shows.

Farm Assist is a means-tested payment for farmers who are low earners that over 5,000 farmers benefit from.

To qualify for the payment, you must be a farmer, be farming land in the State, be aged between 18 and 66 and satisfy a means test.

You are considered a farmer if you farm land that you own or lease and that you use for the purpose of husbandry.

In 2020, a total of 5,511 farmers were in receipt of the payment, but this figure was just 5,004 in 2021, representing a 10% decrease.

Some 4,549 male farmers and 455 female farmers benefited from the payment in 2021.

Farm Assist by county

Donegal received the most in Farm Assist payments and accounted for almost 20% of total farmers in receipt of the payment.

Some 979 farmers in Donegal received the payment in 2021.

Next down the line were Mayo with 733 farmers followed by Galway with 485 farmer recipients.

Meanwhile, just four recipients were from Dublin.

Claims registered

Some 1,014 claims were registered in 2021 with 580 of them being awarded.

Furthermore, 44 were rejected, 624 were cleared and three are still pending.

In 2020, just 355 out of 744 claims were awarded.