Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The annual budget allocation for the Area of Natural Constraints (ANC) Scheme is €250m.

In order to be eligible for ANC Scheme, applicants must have ANC designated land and submit a valid Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) application form annually. In addition there are stocking density and retention requirements that must be observed. Once all the requirements and Terms and Conditions of the Scheme are met, payment will commence in September 2024, which is a month earlier than in 2023 and is a return to the traditional payment period for the ANC Scheme.

As stated, this year the advance payments for ANC are scheduled to commence in the third week of September with the balancing payments commencing from early December. As the closing date for 2024 BISS applications is not until the 15th May 2024, it is not possible to foresee the number of applicants who will receive payment in 2024. However, the numbers and payment amounts are reasonably static at just under 100,000 eligible applicants and the data for 2023 and 2022 are highlighted below for reference:

2023 - 99,256 applicants were paid a total of €248,627,603.49

2022 - 98,530 applicants were paid a total of €246,389,561.10