IFA Intervention Gets Payments Moving

Last week, the Dept of Agriculture announced that €500m in BISS and CRISS payments would be delayed for 11 days due to the ongoing industrial dispute and in particular the work to rule.

IFA contacted the FÓRSA trade union to outline the serious problems this was posing for farm families. There were various contacts between IFA and FÓRSA in the days following the announcement.

On Monday, an IFA delegation led by IFA President met with FÓRSA requesting that a derogation from the work to rule would be granted to allow payments to be made.

Within an hour of the meeting with IFA, FÓRSA granted the derogation which allowed the Minister to announce that the payments would be made before the weekend.

IFA also raised the issue of delays in TB reactors being removed from farms because of delays in valuers being appointed due to the work to rule. FÓRSA also granted a derogation for this.

IFA President Francie Gorman said it was regrettable that payments were embroiled in the dispute in the first place. However, he acknowledged the fact that FÓRSA had taken on board the points made by IFA and moved to provide the derogation.