Balancing payments issue under the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue TD, has confirmed that the balancing payments under the 2024 Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) scheme have commenced.

Minister McConalogue said:

“The ANC scheme is an important support for farm families in many regions of the country. I am pleased to announce that payments totalling €241 million have issued to 96,731 farmers under the ANC scheme. To date, 99% of eligible applicants have received their payment under the scheme.”

“The efficient issuing of scheme payments is a key priority for my department. The 15% balancing payment under the ANC scheme has commenced on schedule and is in line with Farmers’ Charter commitments,” the Minister added.

The issuing of €241 million payments to 96,731 farmers is an increase on previous years, with €238 million paid to 95,000 farmers at balancing stage in 2023.

Payments will be visible in farmers’ bank accounts in the coming days and my department will continue to process, as a matter of urgency, all remaining cases for payment as any outstanding queries are addressed.

The Minister urged any farmers who have outstanding queries from the department to respond as soon as possible to facilitate payment.

Farmers wishing to contact the department regarding their ANC payment, can ring the Direct Payments Helpline at 057 867 4422. Farmers can also submit any queries they may have online via https://agfood.agriculture.gov.ie/sso-auth-ui-applicant/#/login, where a detailed breakdown of payments can also be accessed.

ENDS

Notes to the editor

In line with previous years, not all applications are currently cleared for payment under the ANC Scheme. Farmers should submit any outstanding evidence in support of their application to the department’s Portlaoise Office as soon as possible to facilitate the early release of payments.

It is important to note that payments may take up to five days to reach farmers' accounts.