Progress made on GLAS payments continues to infuriate farmers. The Department tweeted on Monday that €2.79m worth of payments issued to a further 768 farmers participating in the first two tranches of the scheme. This still leaves 8,000 farmers awaiting the first instalment of their GLAS payment. A total of approximately 2,500 farmers participating in AEOS are awaiting payments also.
Progress made on GLAS payments continues to infuriate farmers. The Department tweeted on Monday that €2.79m worth of payments issued to a further 768 farmers participating in the first two tranches of the scheme.
This still leaves 8,000 farmers awaiting the first instalment of their GLAS payment. A total of approximately 2,500 farmers participating in AEOS are awaiting payments also.
IFA rural development chair Joe Brady said: “It is very disappointing that Minister Creed has not made a request to the EU Commission for flexibility to allow outstanding GLAS payments to be made.
“With very sluggish progress since the start of the year, the IFA estimates that it will take at least another three months to make all payments unless urgent action is taken. The IFA is again calling on the Minister to intervene with imaginative ways of making payment. Farmers due payments are suffering through severe cashflow and expect action now.”
On page 14, Caitriona Murphy interviews Minister Creed to find out his response to the ongoing delays.
Deadline for windblow reconstitution scheme
The closing date for receipt of applications for the Windblow Reconstitution Scheme is 24 February 2017. The purpose is to provide financial aid to land owners whose plantations were damaged by storm force winds that occurred between 5 December 2013 and 12 February 2014, with the most severe windstorm, named Storm Darwin, on 12 February 2014.
The frequency and ferocity of these events, compounded by waterlogged soils on many sites, led to extensive damage on forest lands, affecting some 8,000ha overall.
Forest owners of conifer forests planted after 1 December 1989 will be eligible to apply and those with broadleaves planted after 1 December 1983 can apply.
A maximum grant of €1,700 per hectare up to a total of 10ha will be made available under the scheme to those private forest owners meeting the eligibility criteria. The budget allocated to the scheme can provide funding in respect of a total of 2,000ha.
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