IFA Call for All Farmers to Be Paid Their Direct Payments on Time

IFA Deputy President Eddie Downey said that all farmers must receive their advance Single Farm Payment this week, and the outstanding Disadvantaged Area payments must all be paid out without further delay. He said the delay in Disadvantaged Area payments got the 2013 direct payments run off to a bad start and the Department must make up lost ground over the next week.

Eddie Downey said up to €600m of Single Farm Payment is due to 123,000 farmers this week. In addition, up to 28,000 farmers are waiting on their Disadvantaged Area payments with up to €50m outstanding from late September.

He said the delays with DAS payments are unacceptable and have left many farmers with cashflow difficulties and missing payments that they had factored in, based on receiving their direct payments on time.

The IFA Deputy President said it is vitally important that REPS and AEOS payment commence in November. In addition he said sheep grassland, outstanding suckler cow payments, BTAP and STAP payments must be paid out well before the end of the year.

Eddie Downey said in the new CAP implementation, Minister Coveney must insist that there is real simplification with reduced bureaucracy for direct payments. He said the Minister must negotiate adequate notice for inspection of up to 14 days for all inspections, proper and flexible tolerance levels to deal with unintentional errors, an effective yellow card system, lower penalties, and no duplication and reduced inspections.

The IFA President called for a New Charter of Rights to be put in place and said Minister Coveney should commence discussions on this immediately.