The Irish Farmers Association today (Sunday) launched the IFA Guide to New Farm Schemes and Payments, which outlines details across all schemes, as well as farmers’ rights on inspections and payments. Launching the guide today at the Tullamore Show, Eddie Downey, IFA President, said there are many new farm schemes under the reformed CAP. These range from the new Basic Payment Scheme and Greening in Pillar 1 to GLAS, Areas of Natural Constraint, Beef Data and Genomics, Knowledge Transfer and TAMS in Pillar 2.
22/7/15 IFA President Eddie Downey flanked by Tom Doyle, IFA Farm Business Chairman at the launch of the IFA pre-budget submission in Dublin, where he urged the government to achieve a balanced economic recovery right across the country in the upcoming budget
He said the guide outlines the details across all the schemes in one “simple, summarised document” and also outlines farmers’ rights on inspections and payments, as set out in the New Farmers Charter.
Downey also said that with farm incomes under severe pressure this year, it was “never more important that the Minister for Agriculture Simon Coveney and his Department deliver direct payments on time, within the deadlines dates recently agreed in the new Charter of Farmers’ Rights.
“We will hold the Minister and the Department to account and insist on full payment delivery across all schemes in line with the commitments negotiated in the new Charter,” he said.
Eddie Downey said full details on all the farm schemes and comprehensive information on Inspection protocols as well as frequently asked questions and a payments calendar are all available online on the IFA website at www.ifa.ie. In addition, he said the IFA’s app gives farmers instant access to this important information on the phone – www.ifarm.ie.
On the change over to the new CAP this year, the IFA President said it is essential that the Department of Agriculture has all of the ground work done over the summer months on the changes to entitlements, so as the new system runs smoothly and payments are delivered on time. He said with the pressure on incomes this year, there is no room for errors or delays and payments must be made as per the deadline dates.
(Source – Irish Farmers Journal – Amy Nora Fitzgibbon – 09/08/2015)