Less Favoured Area farmers denied payments

Ulster Unionist Assembly member & Agricultural spokesperson, Tom Elliott MLA has questioned the decision of Agricultural Minister Michelle Gildernew MP to deny many small farmers their interest payments on LFA payments which have been outstanding from 2006.

Tom said: "Many of these farmers have small holdings of 30/40 acres and have been advised by the Department that if interest in the period is not over £50 they do not intend paying this interest to the farmers concerned, whilst other farmers who have large holdings will receive the full amount. This in my opinion is discriminatory and the whole purpose of the scheme is too assist the small farmer in Less Favoured areas.

Less Favoured Areas account for a large proportion of our agricultural land in Northern Ireland and are home to the majority of our suckler cows and breeding sheep and the vast majority of farmers have relatively small holdings and are equally entitled to interest payments as the large farm holdings.

Of course when DARD recover interest from farmers it doesn't appear to matter how small that amount is, they still recover it, why then should DARD not follow its own lead instead of having one rule for themselves and a different rule for the farmers.

The Department may think that these amounts of under £50 are not important or necessary but I can assure the Minister that these farmers are equally entitled to the full interest payments due and I fully intend to take the matter up with the Minister and establish who decided not to make these payments. Is this a decision of DARD or European Commission? I am aware that the rule change went through the Agriculture & Rural Development committee at Stormont but this did not form part of the rule change."