€19 million in ANC payments for Mayo farmers

MAYO farmers are set to benefit from €19,100,821.19 in funding under the Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme.

The funding was announced by Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed and is set to benefit 75,000 farmers across the nation, with total funding exceeding €170 million.

Minister Michael Ring, who welcomed the funding, explained: “This funding has benefitted 8,959 farmers across Mayo. I would like to thank my Fine Gael colleague, Minister Michael Creed, for fighting hard to make this possible.

“Farmers, especially on the hills and in the disadvantaged areas, took heavy cuts in direct support during the recession and the funding for this year, totalling €19,100,821 in Mayo, will go some way to rectifying that.

Minister Creed said: “The ANC scheme is an important support for farmers in many regions of the country, and I am delighted to announce that payments have now started to issue. My department will continue to process remaining cases for payment as a matter of urgency over the coming weeks.”

The value and number of payments issuing in the first tranche is significantly increased on the 2016 figure, when €140 million issued to 65,000 farmers.