Nearly £300m in direct payments to Northern Irish farmers have been issued, six weeks earlier than previous years, to help with cash flow.
The payments were sent on Thursday 1 September to over 23,200 farmers across the province, the Department of Agriculture (DAERA) said.
A one-off increase of 2.04% was made to BPS payments in 2022, equating to approximately £250 extra for each farmer.
DAERA farming minister Edwin Poots said the war in Ukraine was having a 'huge impact' on farming businesses.
"To help them with cash flow, annual payments have commenced six weeks earlier than previous years. I am pleased to confirm that £286.9m has issued."
Mr Poots said 97% of eligible applicants received payment on 1 September, with the small number of remaining to be verified by DAERA.
The Minister added: “I am also pleased to announce that there has again been a one-off increase in BPS payments, to ensure that all funding ring-fenced for this purpose is used."
