Just under 700 GLAS applicants have received payments in the past week, the latest figures show.
Figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine show that 5,094 applicants are still awaiting payments.
This compares to a total of 5,793 awaiting payments this time last week. This latest run of payments means that over 85% of GLAS applicants have received payments.
The Department has previously confirmed that it is currently working through the remaining cases and that payments are being issued on a weekly basis.
However, there are a few key issues which are holding up the majority of outstanding payments under both GLAS 1 and GLAS 2, it said.
Reasons for a delay in GLAS payments include:
- Declaration of incompatible parcel usage on the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) application for a chosen GLAS action.
- Changes in parcel boundaries on which a GLAS action is chosen, including splitting or merging of parcels.
- An applicant no longer claiming a parcel on their 2016 BPS.
- Incomplete documentation, such as incorrect information on Low-Emission Slurry Declaration.
- Incomplete interim Commonage Management Plans and incompatible data and parcel history on Department databases.
Basic Payment Scheme now open for applications
The Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, also recently announced that both the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and the Greening Scheme are now open for applications.
Applications can be made online or in hard-copy format, Minister Michael Creed added.
There is a range of benefits that online applications provide to both farmers and the Department in terms of the more efficient processing of applications and payments, he said.
The Minister confirmed that the closing date for BPS applications in 2017 will be Monday, May 15.
All farmers and advisers are being urged by the Minister to avail of the opening of the application process now, rather than waiting until nearer the closing date.