More than half REPS 4 participants still awaiting 2009 payments

MORE than half the participants in the REPS 4 scheme are desperately awaiting 2009 payments three weeks into 2010.

Fine Gael spokesman Michael Creed made the observation after receiving a written reply from Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith to a Dáil question.

Mr Creed said the fact that 15,738 out of the 28,828 participants in the scheme are still awaiting payment for 2009 was exacerbating an already critical cashflow situation at the farmgate.