The previously flagged advance of the single farm payment (SFP) has begun to be issued out to individual farmers today.
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Simon Coveney TD said he was “particularly pleased that these payments, worth €540m to 108,000 farmers, have begun issuing today”.
On the timescale surrounding the advance, the minister confirmed that the payments would continue issuing twice weekly up until 30 November, with balancing payments to issue as and from the 1 December.
In relation to this, the minister said “while payments are continuing to issue as cases become clear, I would urge anybody who has received correspondence from my department highlighting problems in relation to their application, to respond without delay as, by doing so, those cases can then be processed to finality and payments issued”.
On the motivation behind the advance in the payment the minister explained: “Earlier this year, mindful of farmers’ cash flow and particular of the very adverse weather endured on Irish farms, I approached the EU Agriculture Commissioner, seeking approval to make these payments earlier than provided for under the regulations. As a result of the arguments put forward, agreement was forthcoming, and these payments are being made six weeks earlier than would otherwise be the case.”
Speaking on the Disadvantage Areas Scheme (DAS) the minister confirmed that “to date €169m has been paid out under DAS to more than 80,000 farmers,” the minister noted.
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