GLAS Payments of €10.8m Still Due – Brady

IFA Rural Development Committee Chairman Joe Brady has welcomed the issuing of GLAS balancing payments worth €25m to 42,000 farmers.

However, he has called for all outstanding payments to eligible farmers (including those from 2018) to be paid without further delay.

IFA estimate that 1,500 farmers still have not received any payment for 2018, amounting to approx. €10.8m due in outstanding payments.

Joe Brady reminded planners that GLAS III farmers who are required to complete training under their GLAS plan by Dec 2019, must be facilitated in doing so.

The IFA Rural Development Chairman has called on the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed to raise the need for transitional arrangements for the 25,000 farmers whose GLAS contracts finish at the end of 2020 with the EU Commission.

This is necessary as it is now likely that the existing CAP will be rolled over beyond December 2020.

He said, “Farmers must have clarity as to whether there will be gap year when GLAS contracts finish, as environmental payments are a key component of cash flow and farm income on all farms”.