Several months of lobbying by the UFU on this initiative bore fruit this week when the Agriculture Minister agreed to issue a back payment for the 2006, 2007 and 2008 LFA applications worth £3.3 million to producers. The Minister also proposed to increase payments for the 2009 applications, worth £2.65 million to the industry.
UFU Policy Director Wesley Aston said; "It states in our new Rural Development Plan, 2007 - 2013, that the LFA payment for Common Land and DA land should be €30 and for SDA it should be €60. "That being the case, we highlighted to DARD at the beginning of the year that the sterling payments to applicants should be higher, given that the Euro has soared in value.
"Traditionally farmers have received £20 per hectare for DA and £40 per hectare of SDA. Under the new arrangements announced this week members will be receiving €25 or £22 per hectare for DA land (whichever is greater) and £44 per hectare in the SDA."
The UFU has already welcomed the Minister's decision to bring this year's LFA payments forward to January in response to the very difficult farming year in 2008. LFA payments are worth over £21 million annually to local farmers.