Some Progress on Payments but Minister Needs to Address All Outstanding Cases

IFA Deputy President Tim O’Leary has said that the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney must intervene to ensure that the progress on payments is stepped up as there are still almost 10,000 farmers due a Basic Payment advance.

Speaking following a meeting of the Charter Review Committee, Tim O’Leary said that payments are continuing to be made but that the key thing now is to ensure that on 1st December, when the next payment is due, the vast majority of cases are cleared.

On TAMS approvals, the Department gave a commitment that approvals for essential work will commence in early December. IFA was critical of the slow pace of getting approvals out, particularly to dairy farmers who have only a short window during which to complete work before cows calve next spring.

IFA will be monitoring this situation very closely over the coming weeks to ensure that approvals are issued so that work can commence under the grant aid scheme.