NI farmers receive early and higher BPS money to aid cashflow

Farmers in Northern Ireland should have been paid their Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) entitlements in full as of 1 September – six weeks earlier than in 2021 – and with a 2.04% uplift in payments in recognition of ongoing disruption to agricultural markets.

Ninety-seven percent of claimants received their payments on the first day of the payments window opening on Thursday, six weeks earlier than in previous years.

Agriculture minister Edwin Poots MLA said £286.9m had been issued to 23,208 farmers.

See also: Lump Sum applicants can abort 2022 BPS for earlier exit cash

The remaining 3% of applications are being verified by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) and payments are to be released daily.

Every business will get an average increase of about £250 on what they had expected to be paid.

Mr Poots said the ongoing disruption to agricultural markets, in particular due to the situation in Ukraine, was having a huge effect on farm businesses in Northern Ireland, and the early and higher payments were to help them with cashflow.

“This is only possible because we have left the EU and can now make decisions to suit local needs,” he said.

The one-off increase had been paid to ensure that all funding ring-fenced for the BPS is used, he added.

But it is less than the equivalent increase made in 2021; Daera pointed out that funding has been reallocated to a number of agricultural, rural and environmental projects in 2022.

Payments totalling £208,355 to applicants of the pilot Protein Crops Scheme were also issued on 1 September.

England, Wales and Scotland

Northern Ireland is not the only country to act on paying farmers early.

Farmers in England received a 50% advance on their BPS in July, while the remainder will be paid in December.

In Wales “almost all” BPS recipients are expected to receive an advance payment in October for the second year running, rural affairs minister Lesley Griffiths has confirmed.

Meanwhile, in Scotland farmers and crofters will receive an advance payment for BPS and Greening in September, about a month earlier than originally planned.

Payments will start to issue from 19 September instead of 16 October.