Payments through the Young Farmers Scheme (YFS) and the National Reserve have begun to hit farmers' accounts today, 6 December. Those who were deemed eligible for the scheme received letters last week outlining if they had been accepted to the scheme and the expected payment rates.

The YFS provides a 25% top-up on entitlements which this year is worth €68/ha, the Irish Farmers Journal understands.

The National Reserve provides a top-up to low-value entitlements or entitlements for naked land, which does not currently have an entitlement. For naked land, the entitlement is based on the national average which is €184/ha.

Greening is also worth an additional €81/ha to eligible farmers. Therefore, if a young farmer has applied to each of these schemes they will hope to receive approximately €332/ha.

In 2017, €19.7m was paid out through the YFS, while €3.7m was paid out through the National Reserve.

While the total funding through the National Reserve for 2018 is not yet clear, it is expected to be approximately €3.5m.