Agriculture Minister Michelle McIlveen today announced the payment rates for the 2017 Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) Scheme. The ANC Scheme is a measure in the Department’s 2014-2020 Rural Development Programme.
Payment rates will be £56.47 per hectare for the first 200 hectares, and £42.35 per hectare above 200 hectares. The split rates are a requirement of the EU Regulation which states that payments must be degressive above a threshold level of claimed area per holding.
Announcing the rates of payment Miss McIlveen said: “This is the second year of the Pillar II Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme and farmers claimed for ANC payments as part of their Single Application in May 2016.
“The payment rate for the first 200 hectares of eligible forage land claimed in the Severely Disadvantaged Area will be £56.47 per hectare, and the payment rate for eligible forage land claimed above 200 hectares will be £42.35 per hectare.”
The Minister concluded: “ANC payments will begin to issue in early March 2017 and most payments should be processed before the end of that month.”
