Extra staff used to speed up bovine payments

The Department of Agriculture has deployed extra staff to speed up processing bovine viral diarrhoea support payments for 2014, the IFA has confirmed. The department has come under pressure in recent weeks as payments for the bovine viral diarrhoea were not received by many of the 2,763 farmers who had applied in 2014.

Roscommon-South Leitrim Independent TD, Denis Naughten, had sought clarification on the payment during Dáil questions.

“What is really infuriating farmers is the fact that on one hand the department is threatening to name and shame those who don’t dispose of persistently infected calves from their herd, and yet it is telling farmers they can wait up to two years before receiving compensation payment,” he said.

The department has confirmed to the IFA that bovine viral diarrhoea payments would be issued in the coming weeks to all eligible herdowners.

Additional payments will also be made to farmers who lost large numbers of persistently-infected calves.

IFA animal heath chairman Bert Stewart said farmers have incurred huge costs in the eradication programme.

He said unacceptable delays can’t be allowed to happen again.