The Mayo branch of the Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers’ Association (ICSA ) has voiced its anger at the Department of Agriculture on its failure to commence payments on the Agri Environment Options Scheme (AEOS ). But there was confirmation this week that the payments for 2010 will be released in two weeks time, later than the July and August deadlines initially outlined.
Following discussions with the ICSA earlier this year, Minister Simon Coveney gave assurances that payments to some 8,500 farmers who entered AEOS in May 2010 would commence this month. However farmers are still waiting for payments and it will be September now before monies are issued.
“The Department of Agriculture are playing our farmers for fools on this,” said Cathal O’Reilly, ICSA Mayo chairman and Ballyhaunis farmer earlier this week. “The current Minister assured us that payments would be made this month and now we’re hearing that there is going to be a further delay. How does he expect farmers to react when the Department is saying one thing and doing another? The level of anger is ratcheting up across the county and country from farmers that haven’t yet been paid.
“Let’s face facts here, farmers entered into the AEOS in May 2010 in good faith. We carried out all work that was required under the scheme in good faith. We expected payments before this. Why would anyone want to enter any future AEOS programmes into the future after nearly 9,000 farmers have been taken advantage of? We had been given assurances by the Minister but now the goal posts have been moved by him, again,” said Mr O’Reilly.
