The majority of Basic Payment Scheme claimants have now been paid in NI, but there remains a significant amount of confusion as to the actual numbers involved.

In the Assembly chamber on Tuesday, Agriculture Minister Michelle O’Neill claimed that “just over 96% have been paid”, leaving 4% of the total applicants waiting on their money. The 4% would equate to just over 1,000 applicants,

“I surmise that it might be higher, but we will take your word for it” was the response from the chair of the Stormont agriculture committee William Irwin.

Best estimates are that £200m has been paid out, from a total of £236m. Either DARD has held back a significant number of large claims (an average of £36,000 per claimant) or there are a lot of people still waiting to find out if they are eligible, and not included in the minister’s figures. She is to write to William Irwin to confirm the numbers, although she again repeated that she expects all claims to be finalised by the end of March 2016.

Meanwhile, there continues to be a high level of frustration among those farmers who have been caught in the middle of DARD checks. In one case, a farmer said that he received the results of a remote-sensing inspection, which suggested that he had grossly over-estimated the amount of land claimed on his form, and inferring that he was in line for penalties. On closer examination, over 100ha were missing from the inspection. He rang the telephone number on the letter only to find it was no longer in use.

In another case, a prominent beef finisher related how he has spent the last number of months trying to prove to DARD that he is an active farmer. His issue seems to have arisen because he had no cattle in his herd at the time of a DARD check last summer (he finishes cattle over the winter, makes silage in the summer and buys in during the autumn).

“I have been an active farmer all my life. The most difficult part was the attitude of some DARD staff who virtually treated me like a criminal. It was absolutely unbelievable,” he said.

Then there are the claimants to the Young Farmers Scheme and regional reserve who face the prospect of a formal interview with DARD.

Reports suggest that this group includes anyone who included over 150ha on their single application form or who is under 21 years of age.

We asked the Department to confirm the criteria used to decide who might be called for interview.

However, a DARD spokesperson was not particularly forthcoming, stating that “some applicants will require additional technical assessment, including an interview, according to their individual circumstances. This is a new control aimed at ensuring the applicant satisfies the definition of head of holding”.

A number of people facing the prospect of formal interview have taken legal advice on the matter.

One farmer who contacted the Irish Farmers Journal said that he has been told by his legal representative that a young farmer should not go alone to an interview with DARD.

Unwise

“I was told that no young farmer would be wise going into a DARD meeting without their legal representative, the rest of their farming partners and also their farm consultant who filled out their forms,” he said.