More than 3,800 agri-environment bridging payments worth around £43 million have been made to farmers, the Rural Payments Agency has said.
The payments have been made in recognition of the disruption to cash flow for rural businesses caused by the coronavirus crisis.
In March, the government announced that farmers would be offered bridging payments for 75% of the current estimated value for unpaid 2019 revenue claims on their stewardship agreements.
Over the past month, payments have been made to all eligible outstanding claimants, meeting the RPA’s commitment to complete bridging payments by the end of May.
The loans covered Countryside Stewardship and Environmental Stewardship 2019 payments, ensuring farmers are paid for the important work they do to protect the environment.
RPA chief executive, Paul Caldwell said farmers were facing a 'challenging period': "We will continue to focus on completing the remaining work on these claims to ensure land managers are paid as quickly as possible," he added.
The NFU called on the government to release outstanding 2019 payments for agri-environment schemes earlier this year.
Given the additional challenges with the appearance of Covid-19, the union said it was 'delighted' to see the RPA deliver on its promise.
NFU vice president Tom Bradshaw said: "I am hopeful that the RPA will deliver on their target of finalising payment processing by the end of June so that the remaining monies lands in farmers bank accounts in the coming weeks.
“Farmers have finally been rewarded for their vital work enhancing and protecting our environment that was delivered throughout last year.
"This is a positive step and I call on RPA to make full payments for 2020 in December following what has become a hugely challenging year as a result of Covid-19, a relentlessly wet winter, and now the ongoing dry weather,” Mr Bradshaw said.
