IFA Hill Farmers Insist All Glas Interim Commonage Plans Be Allowed

IFA Hill Committee Chairman Pat Dunne has said it is unacceptable that some commonages are being left high and dry by the Department of Agriculture’s refusal to accept GLAS commonage plans where the planner assigned to the commonage is no longer doing plans.

IFA has called on the Department of Agriculture to put arrangements in place so that farmers on the 300 commonages affected can be paid at the same time as all other farmers. “All commonage farmers must be allowed to signal an intent to sign up to the interim plans, which will then trigger a payment later this year,” Pat Dunne said.

In relation to the Independent Commonage Appeals Committee, Pat Dunne called on the Minister to appoint a Chairman as there has now been a vacancy for a number of months. This committee must be allowed to deal with problems as they arise and its work is now crucial before final plans are sent in in March 2017.