Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Agriculture, Éamon Ó Cuív TD, has called on the Minister for Agriculture to ensure that all Disadvantaged Area Schemes (DAS) payments for 2012 are made promptly as the delay is causing huge anxiety for farmers.
Deputy Éamon Ó Cuív was informed by the Minister for Agriculture recently that of 102,106 applicants, 93,130 have been paid, leaving over 9,000 who have not yet received their payment.
Deputy Ó Cuív commented: “I urge the Minister to ensure that payments are made in a speedy and efficient manner. The huge delay in payment has been caused by the retrospective stocking density requirement imposed by the Minister last year, which saved virtually no money at all. This has added a huge level of bureaucracy to the scheme for both farmers and the Department alike.
“If this condition had not been imposed, then nearly 10,000 farmers waiting anxiously for payments would have received their monies in a timely fashion. It is hugely disappointing that so many farmers have had to wait so long for their payment.
“Farmers had a very poor last year and the DAS was something many were depending on to survive the year. I again urge Minister Coveney to ensure prompt payment for these farmers.”