Dept. of Agriculture had an under-spend of €78 million for 2017
THE Dept. of Agriculture has been slated for an under-spend of €78 million in its budget for 2017 – this follows on from a total of €106 million being left unspent in 2016.
Fianna Fáil Spokesperson on Agriculture and Food, Charlie McConalogue, described the latest under-spend figures as ‘shocking’ consdering the severe cashflow crisis that many farmers faced year-in, year-out.
“The scale of unspent money is reflective of Department delays in issuing payments on time. Even though we are now into 2018, there are thousands of GLAS farmers who are still waiting on their 2017 advance payments.
“This is a ridiculous situation and is causing major problems for smaller family farms. The Minister must give assurances that all of the unspent money will be used.
“I am calling on him to guarantee that payment deadlines for 2018 will be met. Fianna Fáil will continue to campaign strongly to ensure that these payments and programmes are delivered on time,” said Deputy McConalogue.
East Galway Fianna Fail TD, Anne Rabbitte, also said that there was something drastically wrong when, over a two-year period, close on €200 million in money that should have ended up in farmers’ pockets has remained unspent.
For more, read this week's Connacht Tribune.