The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has today (Wednesday, December 8) announced the issuing of further 2021 advance payments under the Green Low-Carbon Agri Environment Scheme Plus (GLAS-Plus).

The GLAS-Plus payments will commence this week in the amount of a further €3.5 million. This brings to over €143 million the amount of GLAS payments issued in respect of 2021 advance payments to date, according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).

Participants who undertake particularly challenging actions may qualify for a GLAS-Plus annual top up payment of up to €2,000.

This applies where on-farm priority environmental assets require the farmer to deliver a particularly high level of environmental commitment.

Minister McConalogue said: “I am very pleased that GLAS-Plus payments are issuing this week. This brings total payments since the commencement of the scheme to a total of over €1.3 billion.

“In addition to the prompt issuing of payments, I am pleased that GLAS participants have the certainty of participating in the scheme again next year if they wish to do so," McConalogue added.

The minister added that achieving the necessary level of funding to do this is important to ensure the ongoing delivery of the environmental benefits under the scheme.

GLAS participants who wish to extend their contract to end December 2022 must apply to do so before December 10, 2021, via the agfood.ie portal.

While the vast majority have already applied, the DAFM is reminding those who are still thinking about it that they must submit their application by that closing date.