Mayo farmers are to receive advance payment of the 2008 Single Payment following a request at European level by the Minister for Agriculture, Mr Brendan Smith.
That’s according to Mayo Fianna Fáil TD Dara Calleary who has welcomed the news and commended Minister Smith on his successful negotiations.
“Minister Smith has informed me that his request for a provision to be made for an advance payment of the 2008 Single Payment has been granted by the EU Agriculture Commissioner Mariann Fischer Boel,” said Deputy Calleary.
“Minister Smith discussed the payment with Commissioner Boel at a meeting of the Council of EU Agriculture Ministers earlier this week and explained to her again the hardship endured by many Irish farmers as a result of the bad weather this summer.
“The Irish Government will now be able to proceed with an advance payment at a rate of 50 per cent from October 16, to the applicants whose applications have been fully cleared. The balancing payments will be made from December 1.
“These payments and the payments under the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, which have commenced this week, will inject in excess of €750 million into the Irish rural economy in the coming weeks and will be a very welcome boost for farming families in Mayo, particularly at this time of the year,” concluded Dep Calleary.
