‘No delay’ in lending due to CAP reform

New lending applications from farmers won’t be held up by the wait until the autumn for expected clarity on the effects of CAP reform, said Mallow-based AIB agri-adviser Tadhg Buckley at the bank’s agri-outlook briefing in Cork last week.

With reform measures taking effect up to 2019, he didn’t envisage much of an impact on repayment capacity on loans up to terms of five to seven years.

But longer term loans than seven years would have to be stress-tested for CAP reform, he indicated. He said the bank didn’t get as many farmers looking for help due to fodder difficulties as they expected, even though AIB wrote to all farmer clients offering help.