Savage strike could scuttle hill farmers

SAVAGE cuts in the Single Payment to farmers in the South Galway area – following an inspection blitz of a commonage by Dept. of Agriculture personnel – could spell the end of marginalised farming across the the Western Seaboard unless they are reversed, it was warned this week.

Farmers in the Keelderry Commonage – close to the Slieve Aughties – had 90% of their payments wiped out following the recategorisation of the land in the inspection that took place in 2011. The farmers in question lost between €4,000 and €10,000.

This week, North-West MEP, Jim Higgins, said that farmers who had mountain commonage shares in counties such as Kerry, Galway, Mayo and Donegal could be in real trouble if what happened in Keelderry was also put into place everywhere else.

Last week, MEP Higgins sought an independent investigation into the long-running dispute over the “unfair ah-hoc payments” to the eight shareholders of Keelderry Commonage, Galway – he told the European Parliament’s Committee on Petitions that his constituents have suffered “a gross injustice”.

“The farmers in question had been receiving farm payments under the Single Farm Payment and Disadvantaged Area Payment at a rate of over 90% at one time, which were later re-categorised and reduced to a level of 10%. Nearby identical farmland retained their full payments.

“They have had no real opportunity for redress due to an illogical appeal process within the Department which could take five years – a ridiculous amount of time for a group of small farmers to have to wait,” Mr Higgins said.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.