Farmers let down by lack of response to weather disaster
Farmers feel he hasn’t sufficiently acknowledged their difficulties caused by this summer’s disastrous weather.
They will get a €600 million advance of the single farm payment from October 16 onwards — but this is nothing special, a 50% advance having been paid out in each of the last six years (In 2009, Agriculture Minister Brendan Smith secured a 70% advance). EU Agriculture Commissioner Dacian Ciolos said he was unable to grant a 70% advance this year due to budget constraints, even though Mr Coveney cited the very wet weather in June and July, which he said led to severe difficulties for farmers, particularly in silage-making, and which has also required the housing of animals, with the attendant additional costs of buying in feed, together with ongoing cashflow difficulties affecting farming and the wider community.
