IFA gives cautious support for crop fund

A financial support scheme for farmers who lost crops in the 2016 harvest due to dire weather conditions has been given a guarded welcome by the Irish Farmers Association (IFA).

IFA president Joe Healy said the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has to provide the full details of the scheme.

“We would be concerned that the scheme is too narrow and restrictive. The budget allocated may not be sufficient to cover the full extent of the losses incurred by farmers,” he said.