Doubts over electronic ‘cheques’

FARMER opposition has emerged to the Department of Agriculture’s plan to change over to electronic transfer for all payments they make to farmers.

The department pays about €1.6 billion annually to farmers, mostly made up of the EU’s single farm payment, worth more than €1.1bn per year to farmers.

The department says more than 65,000 farmers are now being paid all their entitlements through electronic transfer into their bank accounts.