Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon has said that a backlog that built up in the Department of Agriculture on issuing TB reactor compensation to farmers was just temporary and has now been cleared.
The minister put these recent delays down to the heavier workload of the Department as a result of recent years’ increases in TB levels.
“There has recently been an increase in the volume of bovine TB compensation payments that resulted in a temporary backlog in payments,” Minister Heydon said in response to a question to William Aird TD.
“This backlog has now been cleared and outstanding compensation payments are issuing to herd owners this week.”
The statement from Minister Heydon came two weeks after the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association's (ICMSA) deputy president Eamon Carroll accused the Department of reneging on its commitment to issue On Farm Market Valuation Scheme compensation payments to farmers within three weeks of the receipt of all required paperwork.
“The Farmers’ Charter commitment is that farmers should be paid within three weeks of the submission of the required documentation and – to put it mildly – this unambiguous charter commitment is being breached blatantly with many farmers waiting months for the compensation due," Carroll claimed earlier this month.
Lengthy process
Minister Heydon further stated that the average time taken for farmers to receive funds under the On Farm Market Valuation Scheme 91.5 days from the identification of reactors during herd tests.
The minister said that there are a “significant number of steps which must be taken between identification of a reactor to the payment of compensation”.
These include the arrangement of a valuation, valuation appeals by either the herd owner or the Department, the arrangement of removal and slaughter the disinfection of the premises and the receipt of paperwork by the Department from a herd owner.
He also stated that further delays can result from the administration of veterinary medicines with withdrawal periods, which pushes back the removal of the animal from the herd.
The lengthiest duration between the identification of as reactor and its removal in 2024 was 146 days, which the Department said was due to the animal having received medication that required a substantial withdrawal period before it could enter the food chain.
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Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon has said that a backlog that built up in the Department of Agriculture on issuing TB reactor compensation to farmers was just temporary and has now been cleared.
The minister put these recent delays down to the heavier workload of the Department as a result of recent years’ increases in TB levels.
“There has recently been an increase in the volume of bovine TB compensation payments that resulted in a temporary backlog in payments,” Minister Heydon said in response to a question to William Aird TD.
“This backlog has now been cleared and outstanding compensation payments are issuing to herd owners this week.”
The statement from Minister Heydon came two weeks after the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association's (ICMSA) deputy president Eamon Carroll accused the Department of reneging on its commitment to issue On Farm Market Valuation Scheme compensation payments to farmers within three weeks of the receipt of all required paperwork.
“The Farmers’ Charter commitment is that farmers should be paid within three weeks of the submission of the required documentation and – to put it mildly – this unambiguous charter commitment is being breached blatantly with many farmers waiting months for the compensation due," Carroll claimed earlier this month.
Lengthy process
Minister Heydon further stated that the average time taken for farmers to receive funds under the On Farm Market Valuation Scheme 91.5 days from the identification of reactors during herd tests.
The minister said that there are a “significant number of steps which must be taken between identification of a reactor to the payment of compensation”.
These include the arrangement of a valuation, valuation appeals by either the herd owner or the Department, the arrangement of removal and slaughter the disinfection of the premises and the receipt of paperwork by the Department from a herd owner.
He also stated that further delays can result from the administration of veterinary medicines with withdrawal periods, which pushes back the removal of the animal from the herd.
The lengthiest duration between the identification of as reactor and its removal in 2024 was 146 days, which the Department said was due to the animal having received medication that required a substantial withdrawal period before it could enter the food chain.
Read more
Rate of factory lesions double over last five years
TB and grain dominate first IFA regional chair debate
ICMSA claims TB compensation pledge ‘breached blatantly’ by Department
TB reactors rise by 6% to more than 40,000 this year
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