I welcome the news that at long last an announcement in relation to compensation which will be paid to tillage farmers who incurred serious losses in last years’ harvest will be made in the next few days and I am calling for that announcement to be made as soon as possible. Farmers who are eligible should be paid without delay and too much red tape.
While checks and balances should be in place tillage farmers who suffered serious losses should be compensated without delay and without too many rules and regulations getting in the way, There are farmers in very difficult circumstances who are waiting for these payments since last autumn. The Department of Agriculture approved the scheme and it is now with the Department of Public Expenditure for payment and I am calling for the immediate release of those funds.
I was the first public representative to raise this matter and organised our MEP’s to campaign on the EU front on this issue. It has taken a long time for this scheme to become a reality and the reported payout of a maximum of 15,000 Euro per farmer will not compensate some farmers who were very badly hit. I will be watching closely to ensure that this compensation fund is activated as soon as possible and I will continue to campaign for the farmers affected.
