Galway has topped the list for the largest portion of payments under the 2020 Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) scheme.
The scheme provides payments to people farming land in designated disadvantaged areas. It aims to support the continuation of farming in these area by compensating farmers for the additional costs involved in farming such land.
In Co. Galway ANC payments worth €20.7 million will be issued to 9,758 farmers, the largest total payments for any county.
This is followed by Mayo which has a total figure of €20 million. The table below shows the county by county breakdown of payments.
Fianna Fáil senator Eugene Murphy has welcomed the payments and has said: “the farming community has faced so many challenges during 2020 so the timely delivery of payments under the ANC scheme is extremely important”.
“These payments represent a timely and significant financial boost for farmers and for the wider rural economy.
Future payments
“I understand that the department has recently written to all farmers to outline the timetable for payments under various schemes in the coming months and the minister has indicated that his focus remains on delivering these payments on schedule,” said senator Murphy.
In line with last year’s arrangement, the payments currently issuing are an 85% advance payment on the ANC scheme. 15% balancing payments are due to commence in early December.
As in previous years, not all ANC applications are currently cleared for payment.
Many farmers have yet to satisfy the annual average stocking density of 0.15 livestock units per forage hectare for the calendar year.
However, farmers have until December 31, 2020 to qualify and such cases will be processed for payment once this requirement has been confirmed.