Any delays to the 2012 Single Farm Payment will not be acceptable - Dobson
Ulster Unionist Agriculture spokesperson, Jo-Anne Dobson MLA, has issued the Department with a stark warning that delays in the administration of the 2012 Single Farm Payment will not be acceptable because of the ‘dire’ economic situation many of Northern Ireland’s farmers find themselves in.
Mrs Dobson was making her comments recently from Brussels whilst meeting with MEP Jim Nicholson. Her comments came as DARD was preparing to credit the first of the 2012 Single Farm Payments to farmers’ bank accounts yesterday (7th December).
The Upper Bann representative said; “Whilst DARD’s aim is to clear about 80% of the 37,600 claims in December, this still leaves over 7,500 claims unpaid. For many of these farm businesses the withholding of their Single Farm Payments could mean a very difficult start to 2013.
“DARD’s present position of withholding SFP’s whilst presuming farmers to be guilty stands in stark contrast to that in the Republic of Ireland where farmers are paid in advance. It is clear that they take the stance of presuming their farmers to be innocent first, and not guilty.
“The Minister must make application to the European Commission to rebalance the situation in favour of farmers in Northern Ireland. The present presumption of guilt and withholding of payments is harming farm businesses across Northern Ireland.
“For many farmers the Single Farm Payment has become much more important this year than ever before. The industry is really struggling, not only with continuing low prices but the wet summer led to cattle being housed much sooner than normal and this in turn has then meant that already depleted sources of feed have been eaten into much quicker than anticipated. Farmers are really getting knocked in every direction.
“The SFP at this time of year is now a lifeline to many farms, however the administration of the 2011 payment left huge room for improvement. It was simply unacceptable that those farmers who had been inspected, were made to wait well into the summer months before they received their payments.
“It is an impossible situation for any farm businesses to operate in when a crucial area of cash flow is tied up for so long by sheer Departmental incompetence. In any other profession the Minister and her officials would have been sacked for the 2011 payment debacle alone. However it appears not one person has been held to account, whilst farmers have been left to suffer.
Jo-Anne Dobson concluded: “This year’s payment will amount to almost a quarter of a million pounds and that not only represents a lifeline to our agricultural industry but also a welcome shot in the arm for the Northern Ireland Economy.”