GLAS payments are issuing to a further 950 farmers this week, according to the Department of Agriculture.

This brings the number of farmers yet to be paid to 6,300.

The Department of Agriculture will contact farmers still waiting for payment by text message to tell them their cases are being processed.

The text message will only issue to those farmers registered for SMS communications.

More than 30,700 – or over 83% – of all current GLAS I and II scheme participants have now been paid their 85% instalment at this stage, according to the Department.

Meanwhile, 12,500 farmers who applied to GLAS III have this week begun receiving acceptance letters.

Just under 1,400 cases are being examined further. No rejection letters have issued to date.

It is expected that all 14,000 farmers who applied for the third tranche of the agri-environmental scheme will be accepted.