The Agricultural Consultants Association (ACA) has postponed all pre-arranged essential meetings with farmers and farm visits on the back of the new COVID-19 restrictions which were announced on Friday.
The new restrictions are in place until Sunday 12 April and the ACA will review the situation then.
All communications with clients will now be completed through phone calls and emails until further notice.
ACA member offices continue to remain closed to the public until further notice for the benefit of both clients and staff.
The priority for ACA members is to work from home or remotely if at all possible but where members and their staff must attend their workplaces, HSE health and safety guidelines will be strictly implemented, the ACA has said.
We will play our part in ensuring there are no delays to our clients’ payments later this year
The ACA has said its members will be entirely flexible to meet the needs of clients as it understands these are exceptional times for both them and their families.
ACA members will ensure to keep their clients informed and work closely with them to meet all deadlines. If a farmer is concerned about any aspect of their farm management or business, then they should contact their ACA farm consultant/adviser for assistance.
Commitment
ACA president Tom Canning said ACA members are on target to submit all applications for the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and associated applications before the 15 May and other deadlines such as the Nitrates derogation on 24 April.
“Our members continue to abide by the HSE recommendations in our role as farm advisers during the current coronavirus crisis.
“Members’ offices are closed to the general public but their businesses are operating as best they can in the current circumstances.
“At any other time of the year our members could reduce their working hours but regrettably this crisis coincides with the most important date in the farming calendar (the BPS deadline of the 15 May) and ACA and its members are committed to helping our clients and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in ensuring all applications are submitted on time.
“We will play our part in ensuring there are no delays to our clients’ payments later this year,” he said.
Critical
Canning added that the ACA has been working very closely with the Department of Agriculture since the coronavirus restrictions were put in place.
“We fully support all efforts to keep the critical agricultural sector operational whilst abiding by Government recommendations. Over 130,000 BPS applications must be submitted by 15 May and ACA members will be involved in the submission of 55,000 of those. To ensure farmers’ payments remain on course for the end of this year, ACA members will continue to work hard to help our clients over the next number of weeks,” he said.
Canning said the ACA is compiling and proposing solutions to a number of challenges it envisages over the next number of weeks and months for the sector and will present them to the Department within days.
“It is important to thank our members and their staff during this difficult time, [and] the Department for working with us and also our farmer clients who continue to be extremely co-operative and understanding. We will ensure that no farmer will be forgotten in the next few weeks and in the meantime, everyone’s health and wellbeing is of utmost importance,” he said.
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The Agricultural Consultants Association (ACA) has postponed all pre-arranged essential meetings with farmers and farm visits on the back of the new COVID-19 restrictions which were announced on Friday.
The new restrictions are in place until Sunday 12 April and the ACA will review the situation then.
All communications with clients will now be completed through phone calls and emails until further notice.
ACA member offices continue to remain closed to the public until further notice for the benefit of both clients and staff.
The priority for ACA members is to work from home or remotely if at all possible but where members and their staff must attend their workplaces, HSE health and safety guidelines will be strictly implemented, the ACA has said.
We will play our part in ensuring there are no delays to our clients’ payments later this year
The ACA has said its members will be entirely flexible to meet the needs of clients as it understands these are exceptional times for both them and their families.
ACA members will ensure to keep their clients informed and work closely with them to meet all deadlines. If a farmer is concerned about any aspect of their farm management or business, then they should contact their ACA farm consultant/adviser for assistance.
Commitment
ACA president Tom Canning said ACA members are on target to submit all applications for the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and associated applications before the 15 May and other deadlines such as the Nitrates derogation on 24 April.
“Our members continue to abide by the HSE recommendations in our role as farm advisers during the current coronavirus crisis.
“Members’ offices are closed to the general public but their businesses are operating as best they can in the current circumstances.
“At any other time of the year our members could reduce their working hours but regrettably this crisis coincides with the most important date in the farming calendar (the BPS deadline of the 15 May) and ACA and its members are committed to helping our clients and the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in ensuring all applications are submitted on time.
“We will play our part in ensuring there are no delays to our clients’ payments later this year,” he said.
Critical
Canning added that the ACA has been working very closely with the Department of Agriculture since the coronavirus restrictions were put in place.
“We fully support all efforts to keep the critical agricultural sector operational whilst abiding by Government recommendations. Over 130,000 BPS applications must be submitted by 15 May and ACA members will be involved in the submission of 55,000 of those. To ensure farmers’ payments remain on course for the end of this year, ACA members will continue to work hard to help our clients over the next number of weeks,” he said.
Canning said the ACA is compiling and proposing solutions to a number of challenges it envisages over the next number of weeks and months for the sector and will present them to the Department within days.
“It is important to thank our members and their staff during this difficult time, [and] the Department for working with us and also our farmer clients who continue to be extremely co-operative and understanding. We will ensure that no farmer will be forgotten in the next few weeks and in the meantime, everyone’s health and wellbeing is of utmost importance,” he said.
Read more
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