By Charles O’Donnell and Sylvester Phelan

The recipients who received the largest payments under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2018 have been revealed.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine published its CAP Beneficiaries database for 2018 today, Friday, May 31, with the highest payment going to Co. Wexford.

Representatives of Nicholas Furlong, Co. Wexford, received €323,292.31 in the form of direct payments under CAP in 2018 – the highest payment in the country, according to the department.

In second place, in monetary terms, was O’Shea Farms, of Piltown, Co. Kilkenny, which received €229,633.96 last year.

The recipient of the third highest amount was Paul Carr, of Letterkenny, Donegal, who received €221,510.67.

Park Farms Partnership in Carlow received €220,564.44 last year, with Cousins Agri & Plant Ltd of Wexford receiving €215,837.07.

Meanwhile, Branganstown Farms Ltd, based in Ardee, Co. Louth, got €218,578.43 in direct payments.

Wicklow farmer Cyril Goode received €215,227.11; while Wexford enterprise Walter Furlong Grain Ltd received a direct payment worth €213,222.89.

Finally, Cork entity Greenhills Windfarm Ltd got €211,641.76 last year.

Year of change

Last year’s list of top 10 recipients marks a notable change from 2017’s list, which saw O’Shea Farms receive the largest payment of €238,989.05.

A total of five new beneficiaries also broke into the top 10 in the intervening year.