The Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food, Brendan Smith, announced on 11 February that the outstanding grants for the Farm Waste Management Scheme will now be paid out on a stage payment basis. The stage payment solution will mean that farmers currently waiting for their grants will receive 40% of the grant

this year; 40% will then be paid in early 2010 and the final 20% in 2011. Therefore, farmers will, effectively, be waiting until 2011 to receive the complete balance of their grant.

The Minister stated that the stage payment solution served to be “…a more equitable approach than paying only a portion of claimants in full and ensured that each claimant received a significant proportion of their payment in 2009 with 80 percent of the grant being paid within the next 10 months.”

Deputy Seymour Crawford described the decision as “outrageous”. While Deputy Michael Creed asked Minister Smith to reconsider his appointment stating that it was “…appalling vista that farmers will be asked to carry the can for the failure of the Minister to do a simple mathematical calculation.”

At present, a total of 17,000 are waiting for grant payments in relation to the Farm Waste Management Grant, which stands at approximately Û550 million.

The IFA reiterated their concern regarding farmers who took out substantial loans to help finance the building work, specifically the farmers’ credit situation in light of repaying the loans. In an issued statement, Padraig Walshe, IFA President, assured the farming community that the IFA was “…doing everything in its power to ensure Farm Waste Management payment arrangements would not impinge on the credit facilities of individual farmers.” After the IFA met with the Minister on 13 February, the Minister agreed to forward a letter of guarantee to the banks on behalf of the individual farmers in which the grant amounts and payment dates will be outlined.

Padraig Walshe also reissued his call to the Minister and government to assist those farmers with outstanding loans by agreeing to pay the interest, which will be incurred by farmers on the money owed. He stated “I am determined that no farmer who undertook a FWM contract in good faith loses out as a result of…[the]…government decision to stage payments.” Deputy Creed also raised this issue during the debate on 11 February. This matter has yet to be addressed by the Minister.