The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association (INHFA) held a protest over the fodder aid package announced by the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed this morning (Monday, February 12).

The demonstration also called on Minister Creed to issue overdue GLAS payments to cash-strapped farmers, according to the organisation.

The protest was held outside the Department of Agriculture offices in Drumshanbo, Co. Leitrim, where INHFA members vented their anger at a “pure shambles“, according to the association’s president, Colm O’Donnell.

O’Donnell read out a letter which called on the minister to reconvene the Fodder Action Group to address the “many inconsistencies and problems” with the subsidy – designed by his department and the co-operatives.

“This package was not what was proposed by the stakeholders’ action group and – to give credibility and confidence back to the forum set up by Minister Creed – he must now call those stakeholders back to adjust elements of the package to make it workable for affected farmers.

“We have outlined in the letter the steps that must be taken,” the president added.

Speaking on the “non-payment of GLAS to thousands of farmers”, O’Donnell said: “It’s totally unacceptable that farmers are now almost three months waiting for their money since the minister announced the issuing of GLAS payments – which is a breach of the Farmers’ Charter of Rights.”

Concluding, the INHFA president said: “Farmers have enough problems of their own trying to run a business without a proper rural broadband service.”

He called on the minister to fix the IT problems once and for all and to pay farmers on time.