Expect these payments throughout December
Basic Payment Scheme balancing payments — which have started on December 1 — are likely to total €336m, to about 125,000 farmers.
Balancing payments in the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme to 96,000 farmers could total up to €60m. But the experience 12 months ago was that €15 million of these payments ran into the New Year, to farmers who didn’t meet the stocking density and other eligibility requirements until late in December.
In the beef data and genomics programme, payments in respect of 2016 scheme year will commence in December. There is an allocation of some €52 million in 2016 (€29 million was paid to almost 16,000 farmers in December 2015).
Progress is very slow with the TAMS II farm grant aid schemes, but grants are being paid when approved works have been completed.
GLAS payments to 37,400 participants are scheduled to commence before the end of the year
Later in December, it is anticipated that some €142 million will be paid out in respect of the 37,400 people who applied to GLAS.
In the other agri-environment schemes, the projected AEOS spend before the end of this year is to reach €21 million, while the expected REPS spend is €1 million.
The organic farming scheme is on course to pay out €7.4 million in December, and Agriculture Minister Michael Creed has said €110,000 will go to about 70 participants in collaborative farming schemes.
