More than half of appeals by farmers who were unhappy with decisions by the Department of Agriculture last year were dismissed, Cabinet ministers will be told today.

Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue will bring to Cabinet the Annual Report of the Agriculture Appeals Office 2020, which details figures on how appeals were handled by his department.

There was an increase of 33pc in the number of appeals received by the department last year, with a total of 760 appeals lodged.

However, 51pc of these were dismissed by department officials.

Some 39pc of appeals were allowed. The total number of agriculture appeals dealt with in 2020 was 358.

The Agriculture Appeals Office was established in 2002 to provide an independent appeals service to farmers who are dissatisfied with decisions of the department.

The highest number of the appeals was for the Green Low-Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS), which accounted for 17pc of all appeals received.

The GLAS scheme is structured to give priority to farmers with vulnerable lands, for example areas that include sensitive landscapes, water areas or are the habitat of specific wild birds.

The Oireachtas Agriculture Committee heard earlier this year that a total of 6,629 farmers opted out of the GLAS this year.

Specific payment rates depend on land and actions taken, but in general the maximum payment is €5,000 per year.

The number of appeals about the GLAS scheme was followed by appeals submitted in relation to the Areas of Natural Constraint Scheme (ANC) which accounted for 15pc of appeals.

Meanwhile, Minister McConalogue will also update Cabinet colleagues on Brexit preparations, telling ministers that a six-month stay on the new certification and veterinary checks has a new deadline of October 1 for regulations checks.

Some 120 to 140 new veterinary, technical and administrative staff would be required to meet the huge rise in certification checks once the grace period had run out.