Good News for Farmers as Coveney Announces First Payments Under Agri-Environment Options Scheme2011 (AEOS 2)

There’s good news for farmers across the country today as the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Simon Coveney TD, has today announced that payments for farmers in AEOS 2 will issue directly to farmer’s bank accounts as and from next week”.  

Some 6,900 farmers applied for AEOS2 by the closing date of 16 May last year. Under EU rules all administrative checks for all applications had to be completed before the first payments could issue. In accordance with governing EU rules, payments issue in two 2 tranches, i.e. 75% and 25%. It is understood that the 75% payment for 2011 will now issue to all farmers whose applications are cleared at this stage.

While administrative checks have been carried out in respect of all applications received, there are outstanding issues and information awaited in relation to a number of cases which must be resolved before these applications can be cleared for payment. These query cases will be resolved as soon as possible with payments being made on an ongoing basis. Department officials will be in contact with farmers regarding outstanding issues.

Pre-printed Capital Investment forms will issue over the next two weeks to farmers who undertook capital investments under AEOS 2. The Minister encouraged farmers to return these forms by the required date in order to facilitate year two payments. He said that payments in respect of 2012 would commence later in the year.