Department Must Resolve It Issues to Clear Farm Payments IFA Insists

Speaking following a meeting of the Charter of Farmers Rights Monitoring Committee this week, IFA Deputy President Richard Kennedy said IFA made it very clear to the Department of Agriculture that the IT issues across a number of schemes, including GLAS, KT and TAMS must be resolved immediately so farmers can be paid without further delay.

He said the Charter review group told the Department IT section that the issues and problems holding back the remaining KT payments, delaying TAMS inspections and on GLAS are causing major problems for individual farmers.

The Department told the meeting that TAMS inspections will commence in the next two weeks and will be completed without delay, which will in turn clear payments on outstanding cases.

Richard Kennedy said the Department provided an update on the progress regarding online BPS applications this year. He said all applications have to be online in 2018 and already 1,341 farmers of the 16,000 who submitted paper applications last year have lodged their form on-line. The Department will be writing to farmers over the coming weeks to make sure that they get an online application lodged. In addition, the Department is arranging more than 40 meetings at local level in April to assist any applicants with their online applications.

The IFA Deputy President said it is absolutely essential that all farmers make a BPS online application in 2018. He encouraged any farmer who is having difficulties with this change to online to attend one of the Department meetings or make contact directly with the Department of Agriculture in Portlaoise or to contact the IFA for help.