The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) says 97 per cent of farmers received their final BPS payment in the first few days of the payment window.

Officials say that means that a further £525m has now been released into the rural economy, building on the advance payments made in August this year.

So far more than 91,000 applications and claims have been completed across the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS), Countryside Stewardship (CS) revenue and Environmental Stewardship (ES) schemes.

A spokesperson for RAP said it has "acted on feedback to support farmers improve their cashflow by releasing Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) payments early. Farmers who have a live Sustainable Farming Incentive 2023 agreement before the end of this year will receive an accelerated payment worth 25 per cent of the annual value of their agreement in the first month of their agreement, helping with cashflow and ensuring SFI works for farm businesses".

As of December 4, about 850 farmers whose agreements started in October and November have now received their early payment, with a total £2.8m paid.

RPA chief executive Paul Caldwell said: "This year farmers and rural businesses have continued to face a number of challenges and that’s why the RPA has been working hard to improve cash flow and make sure farmers receive their final BPS payments as quickly as possible.

"Delinked payments will provide financial support over the next four years as we encourage farmers and land managers to enter our environmental land management schemes where they will be paid to take actions that will support sustainable food production while protecting the environment."