Poultry chairman of the Ulster Farmers' Union Tom Forgrave is among a number of claimants who received more than £750,000 from a 'botched green energy scheme'.
Set up in November 2012, the Renewable Heat Incentive scheme was an attempt by the Northern Ireland Executive to help to increase consumption of heat from renewable sources.
The Northern Ireland Department for the Economy has faced backlash for publishing a list of names of businesses and individuals who earned money from the scheme.
The department said it published the list 'in the interests of transparency' and added that inclusion 'does not imply wrongdoing by any of the beneficiaries.'
Mr Forgrave, who backed a court battle to prevent the release of the names, is the third largest recipient of payments.
Dungannon brothers Paul and Jeremy Hobson each run poultry farms and have claimed £659,540 and £665,204 respectively.
'Crooks using RHI'
County Tyrone poultry farmer Fred Maxwell is named on the list as having received £900,000 since installing his first biomass boiler in August 2013.
The Belfast Telegraph had an interview with the farmer named as having claimed almost £1m from the scheme.
He says he wishes he had "never heard of RHI".
Mr Maxwell told the paper he has spent more than £2m on equipment, fuel and bank loans.
He says he could have put in "as many boilers as I liked," but chose not to take advantage of the system.
"There are crooks using RHI as there are in any system, but I can't see it being the chicken farmers," he says.
"Where is the farmer heating empty sheds with the windows open? He doesn't exist."
'Nothing illegal'
Ecobiomass NI, the fourth-highest claimant, has received £476,383 to date.
The Co Tyrone firm, established by Dungannon businessman Tom Spence dries woodchips at a warehouse at Kildress, off the main Omagh to Cookstown road.
The 65-year-old businessman told the Ulster Herald in January he was concerned about being "criminalised" and accused the media of "scaremongering" over its coverage of the RHI scandal.
"We simply availed of the opportunity that was there and presented to us," he said.
"There is nothing illegal about that, there's certainly nothing to be demonised or criminalised about."
'Disappointed'
The Renewable Heat Association NI (RHANI), which represents about 500 beneficiaries of the scheme, criticised the department for publishing the names.
A spokesman said "the numbers being circulated seem to be misrepresented by up to 300 per cent per year."
"We are disappointed to see the release of individuals' names by the Department for the Economy and must ask the question as to why the department has put so much effort into naming the scheme participants who are suffering as a consequence of its own (DfE) process in setting up and managing the RHI scheme," he added.
"The names, grades and salaries of the civil servants who designed, managed and policed the scheme are not available on the Department for the Economy website," said the spokesman.
