Glas Payments Must Speed Up Significantly

IFA Rural Development Chairman Joe Brady has said there must be significant acceleration of GLAS payments, following confirmation of the most recent pay run, otherwise it will be months before cases are cleared.

He said payments made late last week to 323 farmers represent some progress but the numbers paid in each run need to increase substantially.

Joe Brady said It is absolutely unacceptable that farmers who joined the GLAS scheme almost two years ago, and who were promised payments last October are still waiting with no definite answers as to when they can expect to get paid.

He called on the Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to immediately pursue with the European Commission the IFA proposal that all farmers awaiting GLAS payments are now paid and that any issues surrounding plans would be sorted out later.

In addition, IFA has urged the Department that where particular measures in a GLAS plan are cleared, payments should be made to farmers on these qualifying measures, even where there are issues with other measures in the plan.

Movement on GLAS payments follows an IFA protest at the Department of Agriculture last week