The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, T.D., today announced that payments worth €185 million million under the 2020 Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) Scheme have commenced issuing this week to 86,000 farmers

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, T.D today reminded farmers that the deadline to submit their 2020 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and Beef Environmental Efficiency

Programme – Suckler (BEEP-S) applications online is Friday 15 May. The rate of submission of applications for 2020 BPS continues to be significantly ahead of last year’s rate and the BEEP-S applications are going well also.

The Department has been assisting farmers in making their applications in recent weeks through its telephone helpdesk services.  The Minister announced that this Lo-call telephone service will be available to farmers for extended hours in the run up to the deadline.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, T.D., today reminded farmers and their advisors that the online  application process for both the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme - Suckler (BEEP-S) for 2020 and the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) is open until 15 May 2020.  Suckler farmers should ensure that they apply for the BEEP-S programme in time so as to ensure that they get the full benefits  of this new  Programme. 

Over the coming days, farmers will be receiving a BPS information pack in the post containing terms and conditions of the scheme as well as maps and land details. 

This information will assist farmers in making their online application. The closing date for BPS applications in 2020 is Friday 15^th May.  Farmers and advisors are urged to avail of the early opening of the application process now rather than waiting until nearer the closing date.

As in recent years, the Department will be providing a range of supports for farmers to ensure that they are in a position to apply for these important payments.  Details in relation to this will be available shortly.

All elements of the Direct Payments Schemes (BPS, Greening, Young Farmers Scheme, National Reserve, Transfer of Entitlements, and the Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme) are now online.  This helps to ensure that the Department can process all applications under these schemes as efficiently as possible.

The Minister stated, “This further, very significant level of payments to farmers in the beef sector under BEAM represents clear recognition by my Department, the Government and the EU of the very challenging and difficult climate that these farmers have had to face in recent years.  These payments are in addition to some €15.4 million under BEEP and €34.4 million in BDGP payments that have already issued in recent weeks, making a total of €125 million to Irish beef farmers. Since September a total of €1.72 billion has now been paid out to Ireland’s farmers under a range of schemes operated by my Department.”

BEAM payments will continue to issue on an ongoing basis as more famers are verified as compliant with the requirements of the Measure.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine Michael Creed T.D. confirmed that the European Commission has agreed to his request that provision be made for a higher rate of advance payments under the 2019 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and a number of Rural Development Schemes

Minster Creed Announces €13.4m Basic Payment Scheme Refund to 98,000 farmers

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D., today announced the commencement of payments of over €13.4 million to approximately 98,000 farmers. This money was deducted from their 2017 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments under the Financial Discipline rule, and is now being reimbursed in line with the EU regulations.

Minister Creed said ‘I am pleased to confirm that these payments totaling €13.4 million are now being reimbursed to eligible farmers.’  The Minister added that “these payments will bring the total paid to Irish farmers under the 2018 Basic Payment Scheme to €1.19 billion”.

Note to editors

In the context of the annual budgetary procedure of the European Union, the financial discipline mechanism which is implemented by the Member States involves a monetary deduction (1.4% for the 2018 reduction) from some direct payments thereby creating a financial Crisis Reserve for the European Union. The crisis reserve is intended to provide additional support for the agricultural sector in the case of major crises affecting agricultural production or distribution. In the event that the Crisis Reserve is not activated in the financial year, or it is not fully utilised, the balance not used is refunded to farmers in the subsequent financial year, hence this reimbursement.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed T.D., today announced details of additional one to one clinics for farmers who are making their Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) application online.  Closing date for the receipt of all online BPS and transfer of entitlement applications is Wednesday 15 May.

In recent weeks, the Department has been holding clinics for farmers around the country to assist them in making their BPS and Transfer of Entitlements applications online.  The Minister commented “online applications bring a range of benefits for farmers, and I am committed to ensuring that farmers have all the assistance they require in order to make these applications for essential scheme payments.  With this in mind, I have asked officials in my Department to put in place a further set of one to one clinics for farmers as the deadline of 15 May approaches.”

The details of these clinics are as follows

IFA Rural Development Chairman Joe Brady has said the first batch of 130 appeals has been sent to the Independent Panel as part of the ANC review.

The Panel was set up to deal with either areas that were taken out or those trying to get in for the first time.  1,500 individual appeals representing 762 townlands have been lodged. The largest number of appeals are from Wexford at 570, with smaller numbers from another 17 counties.

To qualify for the ANC/ASC Scheme you must –

• Hold a valid herd number and farm eligible disadvantaged lands in your own right. 
• Maintain a minimum stocking density of 0.15 livestock units per eligible forage hectare for 7 consecutive months within the 2019 calendar year.
• Maintain an annual average stocking density of 0.15 livestock units per eligible forage hectare for the 2019 calendar year.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, T.D., today announced details in relation to the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme for 2019.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, T.D., today announced that payments worth over €185.6 million under the 2018 Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme and Areas of Specific Constraint (Islands) Scheme, have commenced issuing this week to almost 77,000 farmers.

Please see attached Information note re ANC 2017 and the submission of Equine passports please.

Normally at this time of year, farmers start to plan the closing up of fields to provide an early bite in the spring. However with the combination of a wet summer (what summer you ask?) and zero sunshine,