Concern over Department policy on CAP payments

A strict enforcement of the rules around CAP schemes is threatening to delay crucial direct payments for farmers this autumn, the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) has claimed.

Around €450m is due to be paid out to more than 110,000 farmers next Tuesday when the Department of Agriculture issues the 70% advance payments for the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) scheme and the Complementary Redistribution of Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS) scheme.

However, the INHFA claimed a tougher line was being taken by Department officials where small mapping discrepancies were identified, or other “minor” issues arose.

These problems were putting advance BISS and CRISS payments in jeopardy for some applicants, the INHFA said.

INHFA national chair Phelim Molloy said the farm body had seen a surge in calls from farmers who feared their advance payments could be put on hold because of relatively minor issues with their BISS application.

There are mounting fears the Department is reverting to a stricter interpretation of the rules around direct payments, Molloy said.

“Up to and including 2019, there was a policy inside the Department that saw small mapping issues such as tree shadows or minor changes due to digitisation hold up all of the farmers’ basic payments,” he explained.

“In 2020, changes were made that saw farmers who had minor issues still receive payments for the area not in dispute,” he said.

This approach remained in place for 2021 and 2022 but appeared to change last year with the introduction of the new CAP regime.

Molloy said most farmers could not afford to have direct payments delayed this year. He called on the Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and his officials to ensure that the farmer-friendly approach which applied from 2020 to 2022 be reinstated.

Meanwhile, the president of the Agricultural Consultants Association (ACA) Michael Ryan advised farmers who have received queries on direct payment applications to clear up any outstanding issues as a matter of urgency.

ANC payments to farmers had been delayed where there were issues around data missing, Ryan said. “It seems that files won’t be processed for payment if there is a query,” he maintained. The Department of Agriculture was contacted for comment.