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The Department has said that it “is expected that GLAS training payments will begin to issue this month” to advisers who are running the training courses.
Advisers have been left frustrated at having to wait for payment for at least six weeks after training courses began and are still to receive a date as to when these payments will start.
Speaking to the Irish Farmers Journal, one adviser highlighted that he is currently owed over €82,000 between payments he has to issue to farmers and the trainer fees after holding 15 courses so far, with an average of 23 in attendance at each course.
“These courses began six weeks ago and we still don’t know when we will be paid. Farmers who attended our first courses are ringing up to see when payments are to issue and we can’t provide them with answers. If this is an indication of how scheme payments are to run, things do not bode well,” the adviser said.
In relation to an issue highlighted by advisers regarding rebooking a participant onto the scheme that may have been genuinely unable to attend, the Department has responded saying that; “The IT functionality to make this change is expected to be made available shortly.”
As of Thursday last, just under 5,000 GLAS participants had completed their GLAS training while a further 8,300 farmers were in the process of doing so. All participants must attend the training with the onus on those yet to book a spot to make contact with their advisor over the coming week as courses are limited to 25 places.
700 GLAS III inspections to begin
The Irish Farmers Journal understands that 700 GLAS III inspections are to begin on farms across the country this week. These inspections must be completed by 15 May 2018.
Another raft of inspections for farmers involved in GLAS I and II will also begin shortly and again must be completed by 15 May 2018. The last series of inspections for GLAS I farmers saw a total of 1,350 inspections take place and it is expected that a similar level of inspections will also occur this time for both GLAS I and II farmers.
Some of the key issues that inspectors are finding when visiting farms is that actions are not being carried out where they have been identified on the maps.
It is also important that farmers hold on to receipts for works carried out under GLAS for the duration of the GLAS contract and that these are available for inspectors.
Meanwhile, the Irish Farmers Journal understands that there are in the region of 4,815 nutrient management plans that remain outstanding.
Approximately 183 commonage management plans have been completed to date, with a further 1,630 plans drafted.
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