Sinn Féin EU parliament candidate for the North and West constituency, Cllr Pádraig Mac Lochlainn has said that the information on the Single Farm Payment released today proves that the fund is being misdirected to a great extent and that those most in need are on the “hind tit”.
Cllr Mac Lochlainn was referring to figures which show that a large proportion of the €2 billion paid to Irish recipients in 2008 went to private companies and that the vast majority of farmers received relatively small sums. The figures show that while most farmers receive less than €20,000 a year, 550 companies and individuals received payments of more than €100,000.
Cllr Mac Lochlainn said: “The figures released show that the vast bulk of Irish farmers receive comparatively small amounts from the Single Farm Payment. Most receive less than €20,000 and around 40,000 farmers get payments of less than €5,000. That is in sharp contrast to the tiny number who receive large sums and in particular the huge payments that are given to the processing companies. The top 15 recipients are all companies and between them they received over €100 million.”
