The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has been accused of “doing its own thing” on timelines for payment dates under various farm schemes.

Last week it emerged that the department is proposing to push back dates for payments to farmers under certain schemes.

Denis Drennan, the deputy president of the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA), said today (Thursday, March 16) that there was no agreement on payment dates for Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) schemes at the most recent meeting of the Farmers’ Charter, were the department apparently broached the subject.

However, Drennan said that the department has now written to all farmers setting out revised payment dates “without consultation, much less agreement”.

“The Farmers’ Charter has played a hugely significant role over the last 25 years in terms of setting out farmers’ rights in relation to schemes, including payment dates, inspection rates, and notice of inspections, among other issues. The charter was always negotiated in good faith between the department and farm organisations,” he said.

“Difficult issues were always debated and agreed in the final document. Against the record of consultation and respect, why has the department now decided to unilaterally set payment dates for 2023 that are actually worse than previous years?” Drennan asked.

He added: “The new payment dates as advised by the letters, just being received now by farmers, are almost a month later in the case of ANC [Areas of Natural Constraint] Scheme and up to a fortnight later for the Pillar I payments.

“The department must know that these payments are nearly always used to pay down the bills that are timed to coincide with their lodgement.”

According to the ICMSA deputy president, farmers may have to reschedule their direct debits or payments by these new timelines to ensure they can meet outgoing payments.

Drennan said that this is part of a “push-pull” dynamic within the department, wherein dates for payments are pushed back while dates for farmers to make important decisions and submissions are pulled back.

“The only constant in this ‘push-pull’ timeline policy is that it always seems designed to disadvantage farmers,” he said.

“Where farmers are due something, it’s pushed out and out until it’s nearly useless… But where the department wants something from the farmers…it’s all ‘right now, this instant, hurry up’,” Drennan added.