Payments under the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) scheme have commenced issuing to farmers.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon today (September 16) said: “I am pleased to announce that advance payments totalling €179 million have issued to over 85,000 farmers under the ANC scheme.

“The ANC scheme is crucial to farm families and these payments are a timely and significant financial boost for farmers and for the wider rural economy.”

Payments

The minister said that the issuing of the 85% advance ANC payments in mid-September highlights a commitment to “maximise payments to farmers at the earliest possible opportunity”.

Payments will be "visible" in farmers’ bank accounts in the coming days.

Minister Heydon added: "My department will continue to process, as a matter of urgency, all remaining cases for payment as they meet scheme criteria.”

He also confirmed that his department is on track to facilitate payment of the 75% advance under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS), the Complementary Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS) and Eco-scheme from October 16.

Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme

According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, the ANC scheme provides payments to people farming land in designated areas which "face significant hardships from factors such as remoteness, difficult topography, climatic problems and poor soil conditions".

Support is provided based on the following categories of land:

Category 1, characterised by extensive farming practices focused on livestock management on higher ground;.
Category 2, characterised by extensive livestock grazing practices on lower ground;
Category 3 is less extensive in nature and characterised by grazing livestock enterprises.

There is also an offshore island land category.

DAFM said: "Island holdings are generally small and fragmented where the potential for intensification is limited and farming is economically marginal, at best."

The department added that farming on the off-shore islands is in continuous decline.