Northern Ireland farmers are to receive a total of £3.6 million in reimbursement payments from the European Commission.
Approximately 21,000 farmers in the region will receive financial discipline reimbursement payments from the EU this week.
This is money farmers are entitled to and would normally be paid in December each year.
The financial discipline mechanism was created to ensure that EU direct payments do not exceed the bloc's budget limit.
Due to the creation of an EU Crisis Reserve, the financial discipline mechanism is triggered each year.
Member States are required by EU regulations to apply a percentage reduction to payments over €2,000 which is then released back to farmers the following year, if that reserve is not required.
NI's Agriculture Minister Minister Edwin Poots said: "As confirmation has now been received from the European Commission on the UK reimbursement, I have authorised these further payments to commence.
“As we are leaving the EU it will mean there will no longer be a Financial Discipline applied in advance and therefore farmers will receive their full entitlement each year and no refund will be required the following year.”
Payments were issued on Tuesday 1 December, and will reach farmers’ bank accounts within five working days.
All eligible farm businesses will receive a payment letter by post.
