Macra demands DAFM expedite shock 11-day delay to farm payments

The Department of Agriculture must urgently take every possible step to minimise the unexpected and unacceptable 11-day delay to BISS and CRISS payments, with Macra insisting that farmers are paid sooner.

This comes following confirmation from the Department that payments, originally scheduled for Friday 16 October, will now not be issued until Tuesday 27 October due to industrial strike action.

Macra President Josephine O’Neill said the delay will place huge additional financial pressure on farm families, particularly young farmers who depend on these payments to meet ongoing farm costs and loan repayments.

“DAFM has said that it has done all that it can to minimise the delay, but we cannot accept that an 11-day postponement is the best possible outcome for farmers. It beggars belief that one day of strike action can delay payments by 11 days - the Department must continue to explore every available avenue to get these payments out sooner than 27th October.

“During the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan last month, the Department announced that advance ANC payments would increase from 70% to 75% in recognition of the challenges facing farmers due to drought conditions and fodder shortages. While this increase offered some welcome support, today’s announcement of an 11-day delay to BISS and CRISS payments completely undoes that goodwill, placing further pressure on farm cash flow at a time when farmers can least afford it,” O’Neill said.

Macra said that while the organisation recognises the complexities arising from industrial action, the impact on farmers must remain a central consideration in efforts to resolve the situation as quickly as possible.

The Department made a commitment to Macra on Tuesday that there will be no knock-on effects to payments under the Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers (CISYF), scheduled for December, because of the ongoing nationwide industrial action.

O’Neill said: “We welcome the Department’s commitment today that CISYF payments will not be affected. However, that commitment must be honoured. Young farmers need certainty that the support they are entitled to will arrive when expected, particularly at a time when cash flow is under pressure across the sector."

"The Department must do everything within its power to minimise the current delay and provide farmers with confidence that future payments, including the young farmer top-up, will be delivered on schedule.”