29 AUGUST 2019

ICSA rural development chair Tim Farrell has said splitting the ANC payment in two will only add to the financial woes of farmers at this difficult time. Responding to the announcement that 15% of ANC payments will be held back until December Mr Farrell said, “It is incomprehensible how Minister Creed would agree to withhold these badly needed funds from farmers.”

“ICSA understands that changes in EU regulations have specified that payments under ANC will be made in two instalments this year. However, Minister Creed needs to go back to Brussels to tell them this is mindless bureaucracy leading to extra inefficiency in the payments section while farmers suffer.”

“The ANC payment has always been made in one tranche and it worked fine. The EU needs to do serious soul searching if they think that this pedantic nonsense reflects well on Brussels.” Mr Farrell added that ICSA will fight very hard to prevent further hardship on already beleaguered farmers in less favourable areas.

ENDS