Farm payments refused over box-ticking exercise - TD

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) needs to adopt a fair approach to errors by farmers in assessing eligibility for farm payments, according to Galway East TD, Seán Canney.

The independent deputy has said that he has been contacted by a number of farmers who have been refused Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments because they "failed to tick a box on their online application form".

Deputy Canney stated: "The decision by the department can only be described as ruthless, and leaves farmers short on vital income supports.

"The crux of the problem is that the first question on the form asks if there are any changes since the previous year. The second question asks if you are applying for ANC [Areas of Natural Constraint]. Some farmers did not tick the ANC question as they understood that they had covered this in question one," the deputy explained.

Canney said that it constitutes a "simple error in interpretation" and that a simple query back from the department would clarify this issue. However, he claims that the DAFM approach is to refuse payment of all supports.

‘Some farmers, when they get the refusal, blame themselves for the error and do not appeal to the department," Canney added.

"Farming is tough, income is limited, and the Basic Payment Scheme is in place to support farmers, not to penalise simple errors. The consequences for farmers are enormous," he continued.

The Galway representative has issued an appeal to farmers who have been penalised in this manner to contact his office so that he can "strengthen" his case to the minister.

The ANC scheme provides payments to people farming land in designated disadvantaged areas. It aims to support the continuation of farming in these areas by compensating farmers for the additional costs involved in farming such land.

To qualify for the Areas of Natural Constraints and the Areas of Specific Constraint schemes, farmers must:

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