The Agriculture Minister, Michelle O’Neill has confirmed that the payment rates for the 2015 Less Favoured Area Compensatory Allowances Scheme (LFACA) will remain the same as last year.

The payment rates for 2015 are £23.81 per hectare in the Disadvantaged Area and Common Land and £47.62 per hectare in the Severely Disadvantaged Area.

The Minister said: “I can confirm that the rates of payments to be issued in 2015 will remain unchanged. LFACA payments are an important source of income for our farmers and provide a boost to the rural economy. Maintaining these payment rates for a further year provides some financial stability for those in the scheme as we enter a new CAP period.

“I am committed to ensuring that payments are made as early in 2015 as possible.” It is anticipated that payments will begin to issue in early March 2015 and the majority of them will be completed by the end of March.

Payments on eligible claims will begin to be paid out in early March 2015. The target is for 90% of payments to be made by March 31 2015.

Applicants may also qualify for a cattle bonus which increases the area based payment for those producers who have 25% or more of their eligible livestock units as suckler cows or heifers.