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Minister McConalogue announces issue of €650,000 in GLAS+ balancing payments

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, T.D., has announced today that balancing payments for the GLAS+ participants have commenced. These payments are to those GLAS participants who undertook exceptional environmental commitments and are accordingly rewarded under GLAS with an additional annual payment of up to €2,000 in with this element of the Scheme known as ‘GLAS+’.  The balancing payment represents the final 15% of the 2021 GLAS+ payment and completes the total payment for GLAS actions undertaken in 2021.

 

Announcing the issue of the payments, the Minister commented,

“I am very pleased to be announcing the commencing of these GLAS+ balancing payments, as it means that almost €650,000 will be made to over 3,100 GLAS participants.  This payment of €650,000 will also bring the total payments made to date in respect of GLAS to over €1.18 billion. I am also pleased to note that over 95% of GLAS participants have now been paid in full in respect of their 2021 GLAS commitments.”

 

The Minister added, “the delivery of environmental benefits continues to be a key objective given the number of challenges we face as regards climate change, loss of biodiversity and water quality. Earlier this week I launched a new agri-environmental climate measure, to succeed GLAS called ACRES which is currently with the EU Commission for approval.  Our intention is that this will commence on 1 January 2023.  The commitment of €1.5 billion scheme to ACRES over the lifetime of the new CAP demonstrates the commitment of the Government to facilitate the delivery of climate, environmental and biodiversity benefits while supporting farm incomes”.

 

Note for editors:

The GLAS Helpdesk can be contacted at 053 9163425

Farmers can also submit any queries they may have by email to GLAS@agriculture.gov.ie

Regular pay runs will be in place over the coming weeks to issue payments as GLAS cases are cleared for payment. Any GLAS participants with outstanding documentation including Rare Breed Forms or those who have been contacted by the Department with queries in relation to their GLAS participation or BPS application should respond as soon as possible in order to facilitate the early issue of payments.

 

 

 

ENDS