“The disgrace that is the administration of the GLAS IT and payments system” has prompted one agricultural consultant to lodge a formal complaint against the Department of Agriculture to the Office of the Ombudsman on behalf of himself and his clients.

The Office of the Ombudsman examines complaints from members of the public who feel they have been unfairly treated by public bodies.

Roscommon-based consultant and farmer Eoghan Finneran joined GLAS II in late 2015 and received a letter of acceptance in early 2016 but still has not received any of his 85% first instalment.

Adding to his frustration is the lack of communication from the environmental schemes unit in Johnstown Castle to himself and other GLAS farmers.

“I’ve called the Department easily 15 times and it’s only been answered four times but it’s always the same response – problems with IT and no detail,” he told the Irish Farmers Journal.

In his formal complaint to the Ombudsman, Finneran described the GLAS IT as a “disgrace”, writing: “Despite my compliance with the terms of the GLAS contract costing me over €3,000 to date, I have received no payment from DAFM, nor no correspondence of any kind to allow the delayed processing of the payment to be resolved.

“The only communication I have had from DAFM since the payment was first due last October was to respond to my phone calls with the line 'IT mapping problems are delaying the GLAS payment'.

He added: “I have complained orally and by email on more than five occasions with no new response.”

He continued: “This lack of payment and totally disrespectful lack of communication to explain the delay is in clear breach of the Farmers Rights Charter which the Department claims to comply with.”

Money short

Finneran’s outstanding GLAS payment totals around €4,900 for stone wall maintenance, wild bird cover and hay meadows.

The most recent figures available from the Department of Agriculture show that 157 farmers were paid €554,548 in the latest run of GLAS I and II payments on 23 June.

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