Farmers will be excluded from scheme payments under the next CAP unless they satisfy the Department of Agriculture’s active farmer check, which is currently under way.

The Department has proposed that farmers who have a minimum stocking rate of 0.15 livestock units per hectare will be deemed active.

Tillage farmers may be asked to furnish evidence such as seed and fertiliser receipts to meet the criteria, while farmers without livestock or crops will be required to prove they are carrying out an agricultural activity.

Farmers at risk of failing the check will be notified in the first half of 2022.

Meanwhile, checks to calculate the area of scrubland or habitat on farms are also starting, with this information used for land eligibility checks and participation in certain eco-scheme measures.