Are you enrolled in one of the key schemes with the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine?
The Department has clarified the payment dates for 2017 for the key schemes such as GLAS, Basic Payment Scheme and Areas of Natural Constraints Schemes.
The timelines for the payments was agreed between the Department of Agriculture and Farm Organisations under the Farmers’ Charter 2015-2020.
The Charter sets out specific delivery targets to the Department’s farmer customers and covers the following schemes:
GLAS 1, 2 and 3
It is anticipated that for all three tranches of GLAS, 2017 payments will commence after October 16 when all the required administrative checks for GLAS are completed.
The balancing payments are expected to issue when the required on-the-spot checks have been completed.
Basic Payment Scheme
Advance payments under the 2017 Basic Payment Scheme will commence on 16 October, the same date as they began to issue from in 2016.
It is anticipated that balancing payments are to issue from December 1, 2017.
Beef Data and Genomics Programme Payments
Genomics Programme payments in respect of 2016 scheme year have commenced to those herds that are in compliance with requirements of the scheme.
The Department has said that these payments will continue in 2017 as more participants achieve compliance.
Areas of Natural Constraints
Payments under the Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme will commence during late September.
Organic Farming Scheme
The first payment instalments under the OFS will commence towards end October 2017, where no follow up action is required and all admin checks completed, according to the Department.
Balancing payments will be processed and paid where there is no follow up action, when all on-the-spot checks are completed, and on receipt of end of year declaration.
The target for balancing payments under the scheme is mid-December 2017.
Finally, it is anticipated that the balancing 15% of 2016 OFS will be paid in early 2017, the Department said.