Payments to farmers that were delayed by a month, sparking a row between the Department of Agriculture and some farm leaders, have recommenced today.
85,000 farmers are entitled to payments under the Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) scheme and are normally paid in mid-September.
Earlier this year, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue announced that payments would be delayed, as it was the first year of the new Common Agriculture Policy, and because terms of some CAP schemes had changed.
Farming organisations, including the IFA, argued the delay would cause huge difficulties for farmers who had scheduled repayments to make on loans, back to school costs and other bills to settle at the expected payment time in September.
Today, payments of €179m to farmers in the ANC scheme commenced.
Participants are farmers who operate in remote and upland regions, areas with poor soil conditions and offshore islands.
The Minister for Agriculture said: "The issuing of payments under the ANC scheme is crucial to farm families and I know the importance of getting payments out as quickly as possible. Payments will be visible in farmers' bank accounts in the coming days and my department will continue to process, as a matter of urgency, all remaining cases for payment as they meet scheme criteria."
The Minister also confirmed that his department is on track to commence payments under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability Scheme (BISS) from 24 October and Eco Scheme payments from the 31 October 2023.
