The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney, TD, today announced that payments under the 2013 Disadvantaged Areas Scheme have started issuing, on schedule, today. “I am particularly pleased to see that these payments, worth some €125 million, are issuing on target, particularly given the significance of Direct Aid payments to individual farmers and the wider rural community”, the Minister said. “I expect that over 60,000 eligible farmers will receive their payments in the coming days”.

The Minister confirmed that payments will continue to issue each week as individual cases are confirmed eligible for payment. “While farmers who have yet to satisfy the average stocking density of 0.15 livestock units per forage hectare for the year have the remaining months of the year to do so, such cases can only be cleared for payment once this requirement has been confirmed”. The Minister continued “It should also be noted that for those farmers who currently appear ineligible under the stocking provisions can progress their cases if these farmers can submit appropriate evidence to my Department’s Portlaoise Office, following which their payments will then be released”.

The Minister explained that applications can be processed for payment where this requirement has been met and suggested that, where farmers were satisfied that the requirement has already been met, the appropriate proof be submitted to his Department for recording. Such proof comprises horse passports, sheep registers, etc. “While my Department can confirm that the minimum stocking density requirement has been met for the bulk of applicants through Department records, many farmers will only be confirmed as reaching this minimum requirement through the submission of the necessary manual records” the Minister said, adding “I would, therefore, urge those who consider that they have satisfied the Scheme stocking requirements to submit relevant manual records for noting without delay, thereby facilitating the speedy processing of their applications and allowing their payments to issue”.

Concluding, the Minister confirmed that payments under the Scheme would continue to issue, as individual cases continue to be cleared, adding “I can also confirm that arrangements are well advanced and on target to allow payment of the 50% Advance of the Single Payment, with effect from 16 October, following the Commissioner’s positive response to my request for this facility earlier this year”.

Date Released: 25 September 2013