Farmers Cannot Take the Hit for Education Overspend

IFA Rural Development Chair John Curran has said it’s not acceptable that farmers and the Department of Agriculture, Food & Marine (DAFM) would be asked to take a linear cut in spending due to an overspend in the Department of Education.

He was commenting after Minister for Public Expenditure Jack Chambers proposed a 1.3% levy to be applied to DAFM next year following an overspend in education.

“Education is very important, but it’s unacceptable to ask farmers, whose low margins are being decimated by downward price pressures and inflationary costs of production, to foot the bill. It’s increased targeted interventions they need, soon and in the upcoming Budget, not asking them to take a €26m hit next year.”  

“These cuts need to be reversed, and the inflationary pressures accounted for in the upcoming Budget. If the problem and overspend is within the Department of Education, that’s where the buck stops, and where accountability is needed, not with struggling farm families the length and breadth or rural Ireland,” John Curran said.

“DAFM needs an increased budget to ensure that all applicants can be fully paid under key farm payments such as the national Sheep Welfare Scheme and the national Beef Welfare Schemes. We also need an increased TAMS budget. Farmers and farm families need and rely on these schemes to keep their businesses viable to cover the cost of environmental measures,” he said.