Farmers struggling to access credit and complete waste scheme work

FARMERS are unable to access credit to complete work under the farm waste management scheme, the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA) has claimed.

ICMSA farm services committee chairman Conor Creedon said farmers were now becoming victims of the credit crunch with devastating results for those who had already initiated work under the scheme.

“Under the terms of the scheme, the farmers cannot draw down the grant until all bills and receipts are submitted.

“But we now have a situation where farmers who had been told there would be no problem with the extension of credit facilities to complete work are having those credit facilities closed without any warning”, he said.

Mr Creedon said many farmers have already paid for the work completed so far and now are facing brick walls where loan or credit facilities have been terminated with the result that the work can’t be completed and “signed off”.

“If the work can’t be signed off the farmers can’t draw down the grant, which was the basis for them undertaking the work in the first place,” he said.

Mr Creedon said Agriculture, Fisheries and Food Minister Brendan Smith must demonstrate an understanding of these difficulties, where the farmers are victims of circumstances beyond their control.

The minister should instruct his officials to pay the grant in full where the farmer has the requirements of the scheme fully in place on inspection so that he or she can complete the work and clear all outstanding liabilities, he insisted.

“This is just a question of releasing the grants in a timely fashion that will allow the work to be completed and we’d ask the minister to show leadership and flexibility on this question,” he said.