Over 115,000 farmers have received advanced Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments with a value of close to €750 million in recent weeks.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine recently confirmed that advanced payments worth €749 million have been issued to 115,541 farmers.
70% advance BPS payments began to issue to farmers on October 16, 2017. As was the case in 2016, the European Commission agreed to a request to increase the value of the advance payments to 70%, rather than the regular 50% rate.
The Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, confirmed the increase on the final day of the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Co. Offaly.
In figures previously released to AgriLand, it was revealed that farmers in Co. Waterford received the highest average advance BPS payment compared to the rest of Ireland.
In the first run of payments, just over 111,000 farmers received in excess of €703 million. In an official breakdown released by the department, the figures showed that farmers in “The Deise” county received an average advance payment of €9,957.
Farmers in Co. Kilkenny acquired an average BPS payment of €9,700, farmers in Co. Kildare got an average payment of €9,400, while farmers in Co. Carlow received an estimated €9,300.
Meanwhile, farmers in western counties received the lowest on average advance payments, with Co. Leitrim grossing the smallest amount.
Meanwhile, Minister Creed also confirmed that a total of €187 million has now been issued to approximately 86,591 farmers under the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme.
In relation to direct payments, the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture is scheduled to meet this evening.
Department officials will be present and key on the agenda will be the upcoming Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) negotiations.