The opening of two new farm schemes with an indicative allocation of €175m was announced yesterday.

Farmers waiting for herd numbers won’t lose out on disadvantaged area payments, provided they satisfy the stocking rate for payment for the remainder of the year after receiving herd numbers, according to ICMSA.

TALK in Brussels of increased EU support in many farm schemes, including the Farm Waste Management Scheme, Dairy Hygiene Scheme and farm diversification schemes, has been welcomed by IFA.