GLAS 1 and GLAS 2 2016 payments, including this week’s pay run, have issued to over 30,700 participants, figures from the Department of Agriculture show.

This represents over 83% of current GLAS 1 and 2 scheme participants.

Less than 6,300 cases are being examined further with a view to processing for payment, where appropriate, as soon as possible, it said.

In January, the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed, said that there is a combination of issues holding up the payments.

All GLAS applications must pass regulatory controls and validations, as is the case with all EU co-funded schemes.

The outstanding cases relate to applications that did not pass these checks and in the majority of cases is due to a query on a selected GLAS action or a land parcel on their holding.

All of these cases must be reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine if the actions involved should be removed from the scheme or allowed to proceed to payment.

Examples of issues leading to delayed payments are as follows:

  • Declaration of an incompatible parcel (usage) for the GLAS action chosen.
  • Changes in parcel boundaries on which a GLAS action is chosen, including splitting or merging of parcels.
  • An applicant no longer claiming a parcel on BPS 2016.
  • Incomplete documentation such as incorrect information on Low-Emission Slurry declaration.
  • Incomplete interim commonage management plans.
  • Incompatible data and parcel history on Department databases.

Further payment runs will be made on a weekly basis as cases are cleared.

IFA Rural Development Chairman, Joe Brady, said this week that the ongoing delays in GLAS payments are inexcusable.

“There is a way to solve this issue by making all outstanding payments now and resolving any issues that arise at a later date. It is very disappointing that the Minister has not pursued this option.”

Farmers who have undertaken work have been treated very badly and the explanations for the delays are wearing very thin.

Brady said progress in making payments has been very sluggish since the beginning of the year and IFA estimates that it will take at least another three months to make all payments unless urgent action is taken.

IFA is again calling on Minister Creed to intervene with imaginative ways of making payments.

“Farmers due payments are suffering through severe cash flow difficulties and expect the Minister to act now.”