Alliance South Down agriculture spokesperson Councillor Patrick Clarke has welcomed that the Department of Agriculture and Rural Development has commenced the issue of payments to farmers under the 2014 Less Favoured Areas Compensatory Allowances Scheme (LFACA) totalling to approximately £25million. Subject to bank clearance farmers should start to see these payments arriving in their nominated bank accounts from the second or third week of March.
Councillor Patrick Clarke said: “I welcome that the Minister for Agriculture has recently announced the commencement regarding the issue of payments under the 2014 Less Favoured Areas Compensatory Allowances Scheme (LFACA).
“These payments worth approximately £25million are essential to those faming in less favoured areas and greatly assist in helping farmers keeping land in continued use as well as maintaining the countryside and sustaining farming enterprises such as sheep and/or suckler cow production.
”Without proper financial support, less favoured area farmers would experience lower returns from farming, leading to economic hardship and a significant threat to the future viability of these farming communities.
“The issue of these payments under the Less Favoured Areas Compensatory Allowances Scheme (LFACAS) is a very necessary compensation measure to support those who farm in naturally less favoured areas in Northern Ireland,” added Cllr Clarke.
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