Something has clearly gone badly wrong within the Department of Agriculture in relation to GLAS payments. As of last week, 3,600 farmers were still waiting for their money. The Charter of Farmer Rights states that these farmers should have been paid their first instalment last October. All farmers in GLAS I and II are still waiting on their second 15% payment, which should have been paid by December last year.

Of the 3,600 farmers who have received no payment, just 1,500 have been contacted by the Department to raise queries around their application. This leaves 2,100 farmers effectively in limbo, not knowing whether they are eligible for the scheme six months after they should have received payment.

With the deadline for sowing wild bird cover at the end of this month, these farmers are faced with having to incur the costs of sowing the crop for a second year while still not knowing if they will receive payment for last year.

Our environmental specialist Peter Varley calculates that some farmers have already spent up to €3,000 carrying out GLAS actions and now have no certainty around payment.

It is simply not an acceptable way for the Department to treat farmers. The lack of political pressure being applied on this issue raises a number of questions.