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Farmers will miss out on €106m in payments by the end of the current Rural Development Programme (RDP) unless the money is re-allocated, according to IFA analysis. The TAMS and Knowledge Transfer schemes are expected to generate the largest underspend.
Potential savings could be redirected towards disadvantaged farmers after repeated calls for the full restoration of the ANC budget and the recent Save Our Sucklers campaign.
However, Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed insisted “there will be no underspend under the RDP”, with the full €4bn on course to be spent by 2020. The Oireachtas is expected to discuss the issue next week and the Irish Farmers Journal understands the Department will present its own projection showing the current RDP is oversubscribed.
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