Payments to be brought forward from December to October
David Stanton, Fine Gael Cork East TD has welcomed the decision by the EU Commission to bring forward the awarding of the Single Farm Payment (SFP), following representations made to the EU Commission by the Minister for Agriculture, Simon Coveney TD.
“I know that Minister Coveney made a strong case at the recent meeting of the Council of Ministers for the payment to be brought forward and, thankfully the Commission agreed. This decision by the European Commission means that farmers will now be able to draw down 50% of their SFP from 16th October instead of having to wait until December as was previously intended.
“The Single Farm Payment forms an increasingly significant part of farmers’ annual income. The news that this payment will be available two months earlier than originally planned should make a big difference for farmers in East Cork In the current economic climate, the SFP has become increasingly important, especially considering the difficulties people are having accessing credit,” said Deputy Stanton.
“Cash-flow is paramount for farmers, particularly those on low incomes, and the timing of payments is extremely important. Farmers are more and more reliant on the SFP to subsidise the running costs of their farms.”
