| Monaghan IFA Rural Development Chairman Seamus Traynor has said the Minister for Agriculture Brendan Smith must take stronger action in order that all farmers are paid their full Disadvantaged Areas payments without any further delay. Mr. Traynor said the current situation of only 75% of the money being paid on the digitised areas is moving too slow. “The only way to get the matter resolved is to pay everyone, and to resolve problems afterwards.” “The delay is leading to severe financial hardship and farmers are frustrated and angry at the hit and miss payment system,” he warned. Mr. Traynor said it is up to Minister Smith to sort out the payment delay, as farmers are the innocent victims of a mapping system that many understood was sorted out years ago. IFA estimate that only around 55% of the €220m owed to farmers under the Disadvantaged Ares Scheme has been paid at this stage. The Minister must aim to achieve 100% payment without further delay so that 50% advance of the Single Farm Payment from the 18th October is not interfered with. |
Saturday, 09 October 2010 10:04