DAERA has said that it will put a case to the European Commission to allow the level of advanced payments to NI farmers to increase from 50% to 70% following last week’s floods in the northwest.

Advanced payments are due to be issued to fully-verified Basic Payment, Greening and Young Farmers’ Scheme applicants from 16 October, with balance payments made from 1 December.

EU limit

DAERA announced earlier this month that it was planning a 50% BPS advance payment for October. While this is the standard EU limit for advance payments, 70% advances were issued last year as part of the European Commission’s Exceptional Aid package in response to pressure on farm incomes across sectors. The UFU had already called for a repeat of the 70% advance at the time.

Last year, 21,000 farmers received advanced payments and more farmers are expected to be paid early in 2017 after 99.53% of Single Applications were submitted online, allowing for quicker processing by officials.

DAERA has also encouraged farmers hit by flooding to submit force majeure applications by 14 September to ensure they do not lose their payments on land made ineligible by weather damage.

Read more about the impact of recent flooding in this week’s Irish Farmers Journal.

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Full coverage: flooding

NI seeks 70% BPS advance to alleviate flood impact

Northern Ireland's Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) will seek European approval to boost advance payments this autumn.