DEAR EDITOR

I am a dairy farmer who bought and spread lime in good faith last summer under the liming scheme.

As of yet, I have received no payment of any sort on it and the only reply I have received from the Department eight days ago is the following:

“There are further checks which need to be carried out on your claim. Payment runs are ongoing into 2024, so we will be in contact if we need anything to clear yours.”

I understood that farmers were getting an interim payment if checks needed to be completed, but we have heard nothing. This is very frustrating, as money is tight and we are also still debating with Revenue about VAT from last year.

It is beginning to feel like every Government agency is on a go-slow when it comes to dealing with dairy farmers or is it just me that thinks that?