DEAR SIR: I refer to the article ‘Department asleep on pig farmers’ bank details’ which appeared in the Irish Farmers Journal on 9 April.

In respect of this scheme, officials did not “forget” to include an area for payment details on the form. The Department treats farmers’ bank details as highly confidential; thus access to such data is confined to a limited number of staff. The scheme’s terms and conditions clearly explained that it was the responsibility of applicants to ensure they were registered on the Department’s client system and that all relevant payment information was current. This was also explained to stakeholder representatives.

The Pig Exceptional Payment Scheme was launched on 7 March. The first batch of payments issued on 24 March, 106 in total and the second batch of 74 payments issued on 9 April. The remaining applications are currently being processed and payments will be made to eligible applicants as soon as possible.

This turnaround time was achieved by the commitment of Department staff working long hours in recognition of the severe nature of the crisis and the difficulties pig farmers are experiencing.

I believe that these efforts would be acknowledged by the stakeholder representatives who have been updated on progress on an ongoing basis. It is disappointing to see the Irish Farmers Journal publishing an ill-informed, anonymous article criticising a small team of dedicated civil servants.