In the week that the applications under the 2017 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) closed, thousands of farmers continue to wait on payments due since 2016.
Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed addressed the Seanad on Wednesday where he outlined progress on various schemes. The Irish Farmers Journal understands that Minister Creed again held discussions with senior staff within his Department this week to get answers on why delays are continuing.
GLAS
Some 2,970 farmers are still waiting for payments averaging €3,550 each under GLAS I and II. A question mark hangs over whether payment will ever be made to between 1,000 and 1,500 of those farmers.
In February, Minister Creed told the Irish Farmers Journal that crosschecks that were “very often, more often than not, …in-house issues” were delaying payments.
A letter issued in the past week telling farmers that “one or more of your GLAS actions has not passed all of the required pre-payment validation checks” has been described as confusing and a “holding letter”.
Roscommon agricultural consultant Noel Feeney told the Irish Farmers Journal that there was a deep sense of frustration among his GLAS clients and all farmers owed money.
“It’s just a standard letter, it’s driving farmers mad,” he said. “It tells us nothing. Neither the adviser nor the farmer can do anything. It’s not at all satisfactory. It’s a complete and utter mess.”
Organic Farming Scheme
There are still a small number of farmers awaiting payment under the 2016 Organic Farming Scheme (OFS). The Department of Agriculture confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal that 1,426 payments have been issued from a total of 1,788 across all OFS.
This, according to the Department, “represents approximately 85% payment”. Some “362 cases remain to be paid and are being examined on an ongoing basis”.
Farmers in the OFS receive their organic payment in December.
One farmer from the midlands, who did not want to be named, has been waiting since last December for payment. The farmer is in a partnership. The Irish Farmers Journal has verified the farmer’s story.
The farmer said he is “terrified” to give their name in case the Department “comes down on me”.
“There has been no communication whatsoever, nothing. If they told us that we weren’t going to be paid for six months or more at least you could plan.
“The stress on us has been just unreal and all we were told by the person in the Department is that their IT system can’t handle partnerships.”
The farmer is currently building a shed through TAMS and fears that a delay in payment could “bankrupt us”.
AEOS
Farmers in Mayo, Donegal, Galway and Kerry head the list of those waiting. As with GLAS, the delay has been attributed to IT issues as well as final checks required by the European Commission in the last year of the scheme. For AEOS, the majority of the delays are affecting participants in the second tranche of the scheme.
Knowledge Transfer
The Knowledge Transfer (KT) online system and original deadline of 31 May have been described as “a farce”, “absolutely diabolical” and “abysmal” by agricultural consultants this week.
Following repeated requests from the Agricultural Consultants Association and, more recently, Teagasc, the deadline for the scheme was this week extended to 31 July.
Online portals for submitting the farm improvement plan, which for livestock farmers includes a breeding plan, grassland management plan, farm safety plan and profit monitor, and the veterinary herd health plan, were delayed for months before they went live on 5 and 6 May.
Crashed
After a stuttering start, the system crashed on Wednesday, 10 May and only went live on Tuesday 16 May. The online system for booking meetings with five days’ notice to the Department of Agriculture has also crashed.
Ballymurray, Co Roscommon, facilitator John Brennan described the system as “abysmal”.
“My experience is that you start uploading, then there is a glitch and you lose everything,” said Brennan.
GLAS
2,729 farmers owed €3,550 on average.AEOS
1,166 farmers owed €3,141.
Organic Farming Scheme
326 farmers owed between €6,000 and €8,000 on average.Knowledge Transfer Programme
Online portals struggling.Deadline extended to 31 July. Read more
Department’s IT performance not good enough
Department spent €7.5m on IT since 2014
In the week that the applications under the 2017 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) closed, thousands of farmers continue to wait on payments due since 2016.
Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed addressed the Seanad on Wednesday where he outlined progress on various schemes. The Irish Farmers Journal understands that Minister Creed again held discussions with senior staff within his Department this week to get answers on why delays are continuing.
GLAS
Some 2,970 farmers are still waiting for payments averaging €3,550 each under GLAS I and II. A question mark hangs over whether payment will ever be made to between 1,000 and 1,500 of those farmers.
In February, Minister Creed told the Irish Farmers Journal that crosschecks that were “very often, more often than not, …in-house issues” were delaying payments.
A letter issued in the past week telling farmers that “one or more of your GLAS actions has not passed all of the required pre-payment validation checks” has been described as confusing and a “holding letter”.
Roscommon agricultural consultant Noel Feeney told the Irish Farmers Journal that there was a deep sense of frustration among his GLAS clients and all farmers owed money.
“It’s just a standard letter, it’s driving farmers mad,” he said. “It tells us nothing. Neither the adviser nor the farmer can do anything. It’s not at all satisfactory. It’s a complete and utter mess.”
Organic Farming Scheme
There are still a small number of farmers awaiting payment under the 2016 Organic Farming Scheme (OFS). The Department of Agriculture confirmed to the Irish Farmers Journal that 1,426 payments have been issued from a total of 1,788 across all OFS.
This, according to the Department, “represents approximately 85% payment”. Some “362 cases remain to be paid and are being examined on an ongoing basis”.
Farmers in the OFS receive their organic payment in December.
One farmer from the midlands, who did not want to be named, has been waiting since last December for payment. The farmer is in a partnership. The Irish Farmers Journal has verified the farmer’s story.
The farmer said he is “terrified” to give their name in case the Department “comes down on me”.
“There has been no communication whatsoever, nothing. If they told us that we weren’t going to be paid for six months or more at least you could plan.
“The stress on us has been just unreal and all we were told by the person in the Department is that their IT system can’t handle partnerships.”
The farmer is currently building a shed through TAMS and fears that a delay in payment could “bankrupt us”.
AEOS
Farmers in Mayo, Donegal, Galway and Kerry head the list of those waiting. As with GLAS, the delay has been attributed to IT issues as well as final checks required by the European Commission in the last year of the scheme. For AEOS, the majority of the delays are affecting participants in the second tranche of the scheme.
Knowledge Transfer
The Knowledge Transfer (KT) online system and original deadline of 31 May have been described as “a farce”, “absolutely diabolical” and “abysmal” by agricultural consultants this week.
Following repeated requests from the Agricultural Consultants Association and, more recently, Teagasc, the deadline for the scheme was this week extended to 31 July.
Online portals for submitting the farm improvement plan, which for livestock farmers includes a breeding plan, grassland management plan, farm safety plan and profit monitor, and the veterinary herd health plan, were delayed for months before they went live on 5 and 6 May.
Crashed
After a stuttering start, the system crashed on Wednesday, 10 May and only went live on Tuesday 16 May. The online system for booking meetings with five days’ notice to the Department of Agriculture has also crashed.
Ballymurray, Co Roscommon, facilitator John Brennan described the system as “abysmal”.
“My experience is that you start uploading, then there is a glitch and you lose everything,” said Brennan.
GLAS
2,729 farmers owed €3,550 on average.AEOS
1,166 farmers owed €3,141.
Organic Farming Scheme
326 farmers owed between €6,000 and €8,000 on average.Knowledge Transfer Programme
Online portals struggling.Deadline extended to 31 July. Read more
Department’s IT performance not good enough
Department spent €7.5m on IT since 2014
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