Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) Minister Andrew Muir MLA has announced Direct Payments to Northern Ireland farmers have commenced from 2 September, with almost £260million being issued on the first day.
Minister Muir said: “I am delighted to announce £258.4million of Direct Payments have issued to 23,254 farmers, representing 98% of eligible applicants, on the first day of 2024 payments.
“I am committed to ensuring both the environmental and economic sustainability of Northern Ireland’s significant agriculture sector, and my department continues to deliver for hard working farming families. These payments represent a significant boost to those families and to rural communities.”
Payments will continue to be released following successful validation checks for the small number of remaining applications. Farm Businesses are reminded that, to ensure prompt payment they should check that both their contact, and bank details are up to date.
Notification of payment details will be made through the DAERA Messaging Service. This service is a secure, fast and convenient way to view and respond to scheme correspondence. DAERA will prompt farm businesses, by issuing an email to the scheme applicant, when a new message is available to view. Paper letters will issue to farm businesses where an agent submitted the application.
To access DAERA messaging for current and future communications, all farm business members must register for a DAERA Online Account by registering first for NI Direct. This can be completed via the DAERA website. This is an easy process that can be done conveniently at home. Assistance with registration is available from DAERA by calling 0300 200 7840.
