The Ulster Farmers’ Union has welcomed the roll out of vital farm support under DAERA’s new Sustainable Agriculture Programme (SAP).
UFU president William Irvine said, “We’re pleased that on the first day, over £240 million has been paid out to 98% of eligible farm businesses through the Farm Sustainability Transition Payment, Young Farmer Payment and Protein Crop Scheme.
For family farms across Northern Ireland, this support is essential. Income from food production alone is often not enough to sustain a viable farm business never mind support a home and family.
“These payments provide critical stability as the sector works to become more sustainable, adapting to a range of new challenges while producing the high-quality food consumers expect.”
Payments for the small number of remaining applications will be issued once all required validation checks have been completed.
The UFU encourages all farm businesses to ensure their contact and banking details are up to date and to regularly check the DAERA Messaging Service for notifications about payments and correspondence.
