The news on today’s Irish Independent that some of the richest people in the world, who own land in Ireland, have been paid hundreds of thousands of Euro in single farm payments every year shows once again what I have been complaining about since I was elected. I have constantly maintained that the grant system is totally skewed towards the big farmers and landowners while the small farmer is penalised and marginalised with regard to payments.
This is the week of the National Ploughing championships and there will be a lot of focus on farming and I am calling on Minister Creed and the Government to go to the EU demand an immediate overhaul of the single farm payment system and that in future it is front loaded in favour of small farmers. The system as it stands is a farce and it’s time it was changed to benefit of the people who need these payments the most.