Northern Ireland farmers to get BPS advance again

Farmers in Northern Ireland will, for the second year running, be given an advance on money due under the Basic Payment Scheme.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera) has confirmed it will issue advance payments for the 2017 scheme year from 16 October 2017.

However, the advance is only likely to be worth 50% of the value of a claim, rather than the 70% paid out in 2016.

See also: Read more articles about the Basic Payment Scheme

This is because last year’s 70% advance was granted by the EU Commission as an “exceptional measure” due to the difficult trading conditions across the EU.

Under the normal rules, member states are limited to paying 50% and only where the claim has been fully verified.

The balancing 50% will be paid from 1 December 2017.

A Daera spokesperson said: “The delivery of advance payments in 2017 is a direct consequence of the increase in the number of farmers submitting their Single Applications online.

“The department is committed to maximising the number of payments made to farmers in October and again in December.”