Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has been urged to ensure that farm payments are being issued in line with previous payment dates.
The Irish Natura and Hill Farmers’ Association (INHFA) insists that the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) payment continues to be made in mid-September and basic payments in the third week of October.
At a meeting of the Farmers’ Charter of Rights earlier this week new timescales for payments were outlined by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
These proposed dates will see the ANC payment date move to October 15 with the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) payment moving back by one week to the end of October, according to the INHFA.
Despite acknowledging that the DAFM is under pressure rolling out the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) programme, the INHFA national president, Vincent Roddy said Minister McConalogue must find a way to issue these farm payments in line with previous dates.
Suckler and sheep farmers
Roddy said that many farmers are falling across the line when it comes to cash-flow at this time of the year, and to expect them to wait for another month is “unacceptable”.
“For suckler and sheep farmers that are tied into a system where most of their income from sales doesn’t come until late autumn and into the winter months of November and December.
“The ANC payment in September is often their first substantial income in months and eagerly anticipated,” he said adding that there will also be a knock-on effect when agri-contractors and agricultural suppliers have their bills cleared.
Beyond this, he said, there is the added concern around the cattle and sheep trade that benefits from these payments throughout September and October, which could be a major factor especially for those farmers selling store lamb.
“While some farmers will hold until the farm payments come through, many others, especially those selling lambs off the hills may not have the land base to do this,” Roddy explained.
Farm payments
Meanwhile, independent TD Sean Canney has said it is “unbelievable” that in times of increased cost of doing business, the DAFM would even contemplate pushing back farm payments.
The proposal to delay ANC payments by four weeks is an “insult” to farmers when they are expecting these payments in September, and pushed back BISS payments will also lead to unnecessary hardship for farmers.
“Every week delay is adding pressure on the farming sector and the DAFM needs to get their act together and stop playing games with farmers’ money, and which would be unacceptable in any sector of business,” Deputy Canney said.