Three-year Superlevy Payment Scheme Is Stand-alone and Must Not Be Linked to Msas – O’leary
IFA National Dairy Committee Chairman Sean O’Leary has welcomed the issuing by the Department of Agriculture of basic legal provisions for the three-year superlevy payment scheme, which ensure that the farmer’s superlevy debt is independent of the co-op they choose to supply over the next three years. The details of the scheme are to be set out in a Statutory Instrument.
“Some co-ops had feared that they may be left to pay the debt of a farmer leaving them or ceasing production. The notice of the scheme published this week makes it clear that this is not going to be the case. In essence, this will be a stand-alone scheme and there is therefore no justification for it to be linked in any way by co-ops to their Milk Supply Agreements,” Mr O’Leary said.
“However, numerous practical issues remain to be addressed by the Department of Agriculture as to what detailed payment arrangements will be open to farmers through their co-op, and this must be clarified urgently,” he concluded.
