‘Advance payments’ must be made to all farmers

FARMERS with queries hanging over direct payments should be paid out their ‘advance’ in full, with any financial readjustment required, to be dealt with in the balancing payment, Galway IFA Chairperson, Anne Mitchell said this week.
She said that while Galway IFA, like farmers across the country, welcomed the drought relief measures announced last week by Agriculture Minister, Michael Creed, she wanted all farmers paid out the advance payment in full.
“In many of those cases – and even where small penalties are applied – any monetary adjustment can be dealt with in the final balancing payment.
“What we don’t want is any hold-up in the 70% ‘advance payment’ that was confirmed last week by the Minister,” said Anne Mitchell.
Minister Creed confirmed last week that the EU Agriculture Commission had granted a derogation to provide a 70% advance payment in the BPS (Basic Payments Scheme) and 85% to GLAS farmers, who normally would only be getting a 70% payment.
In relation to the GLAS environmental scheme, Minister Creed also confirmed that within the boundaries of the existing specifications for the scheme, a second cut for either hay or silage on land parcels covered by the GLAS Traditional Hay Meadow measure.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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