Lack of Communication on REPS Leaves Farmers in the Dark
Many farmers who applied for participation in REPS 4 still have had no communication from the Department of Agriculture on whether they have been accepted into the scheme or not. ICSA rural development chairman Gabriel Gilmartin said “those who applied before the May 15th deadline have received no communication from the Department and are in the dark with regards how best to proceed over the coming months.”
“I am receiving calls from concerned farmers on a daily basis looking for advice on whether to continue the measures they had in place under REPS 3. The money is simply not there in many cases and banks are unwilling to lend to farmers without assurances that they have been accepted into the scheme and are due to receive payment in September.”
“It is a disgraceful situation that so many farmers have been left with absolutely no idea whether or not they will be accepted into the scheme. Some clarification is urgently needed. Many farmers have paid their REPS fees to their planners for putting plans together and in many cases this money could have been put to better use. At a time when there are severe economic problems on farms this delay is adding more stress and worry to farmers who are trying to plan for the coming months and years,” he said.
