ANC Payments
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has commenced issuing payments under the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) scheme.
Payments totalling €182m will hit 85,000 farmers’ accounts under this scheme this week.
Minister McConalogue said the ANC payments are a “timely and significant” financial boost for farmers and the wider rural economy.
He stated that the ANC scheme is “crucial” to farm families.
He said payments will be visible in farmers’ bank accounts in the coming days.
The issuing of €182m payment to 85,000 farmers is in line with previous years, with €182m paid to 85,000 farmers at this stage in 2021.
In line with previous years, not all applications are currently cleared for payment under the ANC Scheme.
In particular, many farmers have yet to satisfy the annual average stocking density of 0.15 livestock units per forage hectare for the calendar year.
However, farmers have until December 31st, 2022, to do so. The DAFM will clear such cases for payment once this requirement has been confirmed.
Farmers should submit any outstanding stocking evidence in support of their application to the Department’s Portlaoise Office as soon as possible to facilitate the early release of payments.
In line with last year’s arrangement, the payments the DAFM is currently issuing is an 85% advance payment on the ANC Scheme.
The 15% of balancing payments are due to commence in early December 2022, the minister confirmed.
BPS
The minister also confirmed that the DAFM is making arrangements to facilitate payment of the advance of 70% under the Basic Payment Scheme from October 17th, 2022.
CAP 2023
In other news, farmers’ individual ‘GAEC 8’ and ‘Eco-Scheme Space for Nature’ indicative estimates are now available on AgFood, the DAFM has confirmed.
It has made the data available to farmers to help them plan for the new CAP, which will come into effect on January 1st, 2023.
According to a DAFM spokesperson, the CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027, GAEC 8 requires a farmer to devote 4% of eligible land to biodiversity and landscape protection.
Read more in this news article.
