DAERA Delivers Record Number of Advance CAP Payments

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) today announced that 94% of farmers in Northern Ireland have received an advance CAP payment in October 2017.

The payments, totalling £182.7million, were issued to 22,493 farm businesses, an increase of 1,382 on 2016 payments.

This record number of advance payments, which builds on the achievements of last year, has been made possible due to the significant increase in the number of farmers submitting their Single Application online, 99% in 2017. Claims made online are faster, more secure and more accurate. Advance payments could only be made on fully verified claims and the Department successfully obtained permission from the European Commission to make advance payments at 70% of claim value rather than 50%.

The number of businesses subject to a land inspection and which received an advance payment has more than trebled, from 258 in 2016 to 818 in 2017.

The Department has made a particular effort to issue advance payments to businesses affected by the flooding of 22/23 August 2017, with 92% of the affected businesses receiving payment.

Northern Ireland remains the only region of the United Kingdom to issue advance payments.

Balance payments, or full payments for those unable to receive an advance payment, will be made from 1 December 2017.