REPS pay delay damaged relationship
Like everyone else, farmers have heavy financial commitments, and are entitled to expect payments for schemes as scheduled, so they can plan cash flow.
It has been difficult to get to the root of the withholding of REPS payments. They are normally paid in advance, and the Department of Agriculture has blamed the European Commission for insisting on the change to end of year payment. But it took only one meeting between Agriculture Minister Mary Coughlan and Commissioner Fischer Boel to get permission for Ireland to continue paying REPS 2 and REPS 3 participants at the beginning of each contract year, until the expiry of REPS 2 and REPS 3 contracts. Discussions were continuing in Brussels on new rules for REPS 4 payments.
