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Advance payments to farmers under the Sheep Welfare Scheme will come earlier and be larger than originally expected.
Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed has confirmed that advance payments under the scheme will commence in late autumn this year.
He has also said that the European Commission has agreed to allow Ireland to pay 85% advance payments under such rural development schemes, rather than the standard 75%.
The payment is worth €10 per eligible ewe in the sheme.
“We are currently in the middle of year one of the scheme and payments have not yet issued. I am, however, conscious of the importance to farmers of payments under schemes such as this, so I can confirm that advance payments under the scheme will commence in late autumn this year,” Minister Creed told the Dáil this week.
“The balancing payment of 15% will then issue in 2018.”
With around two million ewes in the scheme, it is worth €20m to farmers across the country.
350 farmers yet to complete SWS task
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