The commencement of balancing payments under year three of the Sheep Welfare Scheme has been announced by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed.
The scheme is co-funded by the EU as part of Ireland’s Rural Development Programme, 2014-2020.
In a statement today, Friday, May 15, Minister Creed said: “I am happy to confirm that the issuing of the 15% balancing payments under the Sheep Welfare Scheme has now commenced.
This payment amounts to €1.82 million, and is a welcome financial support at this time when farmers are facing challenging circumstances.
The commencement of the balancing payments brings the total paid under year three of the Sheep Welfare Scheme to €16 million to some 18,500 farmers.
This will provide a significant financial boost to the individual farmers, the sheep sector in general and the wider rural economy, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine.
The minister concluded by urging farmers with outstanding queries to respond to the Department of Agriculture immediately in order to facilitate payment.
Today is also the deadline for applications for both the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and the Beef Environmental Efficiency Pilot – Suckler (BEEP-S) schemes.