Payments under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) and Complimentary Redistributive Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS) will issue to farmers this week.

The payments were due to be paid last Friday (October 16) but were delayed due to the public services strike.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine said last week that payments would be delayed until October 27.

However, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has now confirmed that payments will issue before this weekend.

Agriland understands that this is because public sector union Fórsa has issued a derogation for staff at the department, excusing those responsible for processing farm payments from industrial action.

Minister Heydon said: "I have been working intensively to find a solution to the delays in BISS and CRISS payments and I can now confirm that payments will issue before the weekend.

"This will minimise the delays farmers have seen and I want to acknowledge the co-operation of the unions involved in recognising the importance of these payments to farmers throughout the country," Minister Heydon added.

The minister said that further details will be "provided once available".

"I understand the critical value of these payments to farmers and rural Ireland more broadly, and I am glad the payments can now issue at the higher rate of 75% in line with the Eco-scheme payments last Friday which saw €203 million issued to almost 107,000 farmers," Minister Heydon said.

Agriland understands that a delegation from the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) met with Fórsa today to discuss the impact that the delayed payments will have on farmers.

Sources indicated that Fórsa "fully understood the importance of the payments for farmers' livelihoods".

The IFA expected the union to issue a derogation to the relevant staff in the department in order to rectify the payment delay.

It is understood that this derogation has been granted by Fórsa.

Separately, it is also understood that IFA representatives raised the delay in TB reactor cattle being removed from farms, due to the delay in making on-farm market valuations.