MEP Carthy hits out at meat plants drawing down huge EU payments

OVER 50 farming enterprises in Galway received annual EU CAP payments in excess of €50,000 for 2016, the latest Dept. of Agriculture figures have revealed.

In terms of ‘block funding’, Teagasc (Athenry-Oranmore) received payments of €6.045 million, but after that, the next biggest receiver of CAP funds was VG Land Holdings, Ltd, Connemara which drew down just over €208,000.

Three other farming enterprises in Galway drew down more than €100,000 in EU CAP payments for 2016 – Joseph Naughton, Ballinasloe (€125,011); Hans Weirner Meis, Connemara (€121,220) and Finbarr Ryan, Loughrea (€115,297).

Pat and Michael Stephens (Tuam) had payments of €93,011 for 2016 while Corrib Farming Ltd. (Tuam) came in at €90,944.

Other Galway farmers to top the €80,000 mark were Richard H. Bourns, (Ballinasloe); Con Heagney (Ballinasloe); Peter H. Conroy (Connemara); William Treacy (Ballinasloe) and Brendan Barrett (Ballinasloe).

This week the major CAP payouts to ‘farm businesses’ has been criticised by Sinn Féin MEP for the Midlands North West, Matt Carthy.

He said that it was ‘scandalous and immoral’ that 240 farm businesses were receiving annual payments of €100,000 at a time when the average payment for farmers across the country was €17,932.

“In fact, it appears that, despite the government opting for a 100% reduction in CAP payment amounts exceeding €150,000, there is still a sizeable amount of farmers receiving payments over €200,000.

“This seems to show a complete disregard by the Fine Gael Government to implement policies to bring equality to the system.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.