5,000 farmers who have land in Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) could lose out on the payment completely because they did not tick the box on their basic payment applications.

The Department is writing out to the farmers this week and they must respond by 26 August to get a payment under the ANC scheme.

As reported last week, up to 20,000 farmers normally miss out on getting paid in late September because they have not hit the stocking criteria of having stock for seven consecutive months and also having an average stocking rate of 0.15LU for the 12 months of the calendar year.

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The majority of these farmers get paid in later months as the stocking criteria is met.

Each year, around 4,000 to 5,000 farmers who have ANC land on their application do not get paid at all.

The majority who do not get paid miss out due to not having stock, but there is also a number who simply forget to tick the box. Now they have a second chance by replying to the letter by the deadline.

ANC queries

I’ve had a few queries from readers about the impact of taking in animals for short-term grazing on ANC.

The Department has confirmed that you have to keep the land for 12 months and hit the required stocking rate. Only livestock owned by the applicant will count towards the stocking density, according to the Department.

Cattle will only be counted in the destination herd where they are moved using a NBAS31B form and a copy of the signed contract-rearing agreement has to be submitted to ANC section in the Department.

The applicant must satisfy all requirements in respect of sheep movement and registration, recognising that it is owned stock that counts for the stocking rate calculations.

If you are letting for sheep to graze, they will not count towards the stocking rate, as they are not owned by you.

So it does not rule it out, but farmers must have adequate stock owned to hit the stocking density calculation. A minimum retention period of seven consecutive months is required under the scheme.

One farmer asked what stocking values in livestock units applies to this year’s lamb crop that were born in 2015?

The reply from the Department was that one ovine (sheep) under the ANC scheme is counted at 0.15LU. However, given that the figures are taken primarily from the previous flock register and lambs are not tagged until they are sold off the farm, they will not count for stocking density proposed.