‘Glas payment delays threaten family farms’
FIANNA Fáil TD for Cork North West, Aindrias Moynihan has called on Agriculture Minister Michael Creed to honour his commitments to farmers as it emerged that more than 400 Cork farmers are still waiting on their advance payment under the GLAS scheme.
Across Cork, 416 farmers who were approved for funding last year have still not been paid, according to a parliamentary reply received by Deputy Moynihan.
“This situation is deeply unfair on small family farmers in Cork. These payments are, in many cases, the difference between a farm remaining viable and it folding. The delays which have been experienced over the past six months are causing huge frustration and anxiety,” said Deputy Moynihan.
“Many farmers have been put in an extremely precarious situation as a result of these delays. It’s been a long winter and feed supplies are running low. Farmers’ cash flow is critical at this time of the year,” he added.
Deputy Moynihan said the payment delays were a clear breach of the Farmers Charter Payment, which was agreed between the Department and farming organisations up to 2020. Under this charter, it was agreed that up to three quarters of GLAS payments would commence the third week of October, with the balancing payment in mid-December.
“Fianna Fáil has been highlighting these delays for months. Minister Creed must ensure that all payments are made promptly and without any further delay. The Minister has left hundreds of his own county people high and dry. They cannot continue to ignore the anger that is being felt among farmers,” said Deputy Moynihan.