Income Limit for Agricultural Direct Payments Raised to 47 Million Won

The income limit for non-agricultural comprehensive income, which is the basis for the basic public direct payment for farmers, will be raised from 37 million won to 47 million won for applications submitted this year.
 
On September 22, the Audit Office announced that it reviewed pre-consulting requested by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and suggested that the revised non-agricultural income standard could be applied before the law takes effect on November 13.
 
In May, the government amended the Public Direct Payment Act in response to criticisms that the non-agricultural income standard did not adequately reflect changes in prices and income, and confirmed the income limit of 47 million won through a notice last month. The amended law stipulates that the relaxed standard will apply to farmers who registered after January 1 of this year.
 
However, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs faced challenges in determining the beneficiaries and payment amounts before the law takes effect next month, particularly regarding whether the revised standard could be applied to applications already received this year.
 
The Audit Office determined that the application of the amended provisions falls under a special regulation allowing different standards to be applied at the time of disposition, and since it expands the scope of beneficiaries, it does not constitute retroactive application unfavorable to farmers. Consequently, the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs can confirm that farmers with non-agricultural income between 37 million won and 47 million won among this year's applicants will be eligible for payments by the end of the year.