The leader of the Rural Independent Group of TDs Mattie McGrath has said that a more efficient payments systems for farm schemes is needed in the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
The comments come as Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue confirmed details this week of an interim payment to participants in Tranche 1 of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).
It relates to those who have not yet received their advance payments for participation in the scheme as the department continues to process payments.
The rate of this interim payment will be €4,000 for those in ACRES General and €5,000 for those in ACRES Co-operation.
Payments
Independent Tipperary TD Mattie McGrath called on Minister McConalogue to insure these interim payments are delivered no later than the end of February, as promised.
“The delays in issuing farm payments are having a severe financial strain on farmers who are struggling on multiple fronts, from environmental regulations to smaller margins and higher costs,” he said.
“It’s high time for the minister and his department to take action to speed up the payments regime to farmers so that financially crippled farmers do not have to wait for too long for funds that are owed to them.
“We need a much more efficient payments system within DAFM that allows for timely payments of all farm payments when they are due.
“Anything short of this is undermining the hard work and effort of our farmers and rural communities,” McGrath added.
DAFM
The leader of the Rural Independent Group of TDs said that the ACRES scheme “has been overly bureaucratic from the start” and has been “plagued by problems”.
McGrath claimed there has been a lack of forward planning by the minister and his officials.
“This is unacceptable. The ACRES scheme is largely for small-scale, part-time farmers with low incomes. They rely on this scheme and EU payments to survive. But the department keeps delaying these payments,” he said.
McGrath said that Minister McConalogue must make “radical changes to how farm payments are paid out”.
“It is a failure and a disgrace that farmers must beg for what is owed to them. The ACRES scheme is not the only EU CAP scheme in trouble.
“Based on the minister’s performance, it seems that farmers will have to protest every week to get anything done,” he said.