'Massive blow to farmers' as strike action delays key payments
Farm leaders have hit out at delays to key payments caused by strike action, describing the disruption as a “massive blow for farmers”.
The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) said the delay to Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) and Complementary Redistributive Income Support for Sustainability Scheme (CRISS) payments was “stunning and totally inexplicable".
The payments were scheduled to start this Friday (October 16) but according to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) will now be delayed until Tuesday, October 27.
The ICMSA president, Denis Drennan, said that trade unions had given notice to the government about the proposed strike action three weeks ago.
“It’s just bizarre and unacceptable to expect us to believe that payments that were due this Friday were not ready-to-go and only required a button to be pressed," Drennan added.
The ICMSA president said: "Are we seriously expected to believe that the department has somehow been taken by surprise by this strike action that was threatened months ago and officially notified three to four weeks ago?
"What about the direct debits that were set up by the farmers to go in against those payments over next weekend?
"What happens when they bounce for lack of sufficient funds incurring charges and affecting credit ratings? This is a massive blow for farmers".
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, told Agriland this evening (Tuesday, September 13) that he understands "how critical these payments are to farmers and rural Ireland".
Minister Heydon said DAFM "is exploring every avenue to minimise delays insofar as possible".
The minister added: "In light of this issue liquidity and cashflow may arise as issues for some farmers in the coming days.
"I have asked DAFM officials and they have since written to the main banking institutions asking that they show forbearance with the farming sector where cashflow issues are emerging and continue to support these sectors during this time and make sure farmers continue to have access to the appropriate levels of short-term finance".
However the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) said "farmers should not be left to bear the cost of this industrial action".
The organisation added: "These payments are essential to farmers’ cash flow and to meeting the day-to-day costs of running a farm.
"Farmers have bills to pay and financial commitments to meet and cannot be expected to absorb the consequences of a dispute in which they have no part".
