Farmers are losing out on vital
family income because Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed is underspending on GLAS.
Farmers were promised they would receive €1.45bn under the scheme in the years between 2014 and 2020. But in fact there will be an underspend of €376.5m in the scheme, according to Fianna Fáil agriculture spokesman Charlie McConalogue.
The underspend has arisen because the scheme was not launched until 2015, still has not reached the promised 50,000 participants and the average payment is less than the maximum €5,000.
Funding of GLAS will continue into the years after 2020, allowing farmers who join now to finish their five-year contracts.
However, funding promised to the farming sector in the years 2014 to 2020 should be spent in those years, said McConalogue: “That money should already be in farmers’ pockets. We want the money that is allocated in those years to be spent in those years.”
He outlined ways in which the Government could meet its commitment and get the promised funding to farmers now.
“GLAS must be opened immediately to further applications and if there is demand for more than 50,000 places, all farmers must be allowed in,” he said.
“Also, some measures that were removed from GLAS must be restored to make the scheme better suited to more farmers.
“These include the Low Input Permanent Pasture measure and hedge planting.”
McConalogue said spending on GLAS in the seven years 2014 to 2020 will be €1.0bn. This is calculated as follows:
Zero spent in 2014.Actual spend of €11m in 2015.Budgetary allocation for 2016 of €142m. A spend of €230m in each year 2017 to 2020. This is the spending if only 50,000 farmers receive the GLAS average €4,600 yearly payment. The figures come from Department of Agriculture statements and from figures obtained from Minister Creed under Dáil questions.
Reaction
IFA rural development chair Joe Brady has called on Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to reopen the GLAS scheme immediately and to bring the numbers in the scheme to well in excess of 50,000 farmers.
He added that it is important that the scheme is reopened immediately in order for farmers to have their plans prepared in time for payments to apply from 1 January 2017. Brady said the situation where 2,500 Tier 3 farmers were not included in the scheme when it last opened must not be repeated and all farmers who apply should be allowed into the scheme.
The rural development chair also called for 2016 GLAS payments to commence immediately, as the Charter of Farmers’ Rights commits to GLAS payments in October.
“Suggestions of payments in December are not acceptable as many farmers have been incurring costs in participating in the scheme for well over 12 months now and need a payment to address serious cashflow problems resulting from this," he said.
Read more
Full coverage: GLAS
Farmers are losing out on vital
family income because Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed is underspending on GLAS.
Farmers were promised they would receive €1.45bn under the scheme in the years between 2014 and 2020. But in fact there will be an underspend of €376.5m in the scheme, according to Fianna Fáil agriculture spokesman Charlie McConalogue.
The underspend has arisen because the scheme was not launched until 2015, still has not reached the promised 50,000 participants and the average payment is less than the maximum €5,000.
Funding of GLAS will continue into the years after 2020, allowing farmers who join now to finish their five-year contracts.
However, funding promised to the farming sector in the years 2014 to 2020 should be spent in those years, said McConalogue: “That money should already be in farmers’ pockets. We want the money that is allocated in those years to be spent in those years.”
He outlined ways in which the Government could meet its commitment and get the promised funding to farmers now.
“GLAS must be opened immediately to further applications and if there is demand for more than 50,000 places, all farmers must be allowed in,” he said.
“Also, some measures that were removed from GLAS must be restored to make the scheme better suited to more farmers.
“These include the Low Input Permanent Pasture measure and hedge planting.”
McConalogue said spending on GLAS in the seven years 2014 to 2020 will be €1.0bn. This is calculated as follows:
Zero spent in 2014.Actual spend of €11m in 2015.Budgetary allocation for 2016 of €142m. A spend of €230m in each year 2017 to 2020. This is the spending if only 50,000 farmers receive the GLAS average €4,600 yearly payment. The figures come from Department of Agriculture statements and from figures obtained from Minister Creed under Dáil questions.
Reaction
IFA rural development chair Joe Brady has called on Minister for Agriculture Michael Creed to reopen the GLAS scheme immediately and to bring the numbers in the scheme to well in excess of 50,000 farmers.
He added that it is important that the scheme is reopened immediately in order for farmers to have their plans prepared in time for payments to apply from 1 January 2017. Brady said the situation where 2,500 Tier 3 farmers were not included in the scheme when it last opened must not be repeated and all farmers who apply should be allowed into the scheme.
The rural development chair also called for 2016 GLAS payments to commence immediately, as the Charter of Farmers’ Rights commits to GLAS payments in October.
“Suggestions of payments in December are not acceptable as many farmers have been incurring costs in participating in the scheme for well over 12 months now and need a payment to address serious cashflow problems resulting from this," he said.
Read more
Full coverage: GLAS
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