Claire Kerrane (Roscommon-Galway, Sinn Fein) | Oireachtas source

I understand with the satellite mapping and the changes that are coming in that there will be an element of wait and see. It will be a new system for farmers and some will find it difficult in the context of the level of technology that is coming into farming anyway. Uploading photographs and all that is going to pose problems for some farmers. That is one element. Second and most important of all is the worry and fear for farmers about payment dates for this year. While they will understand and appreciate that there are new changes coming in the schemes for this year - everyone understands that - it is important that concerted pressure is put on the Department to make sure everything possible is done to make these payments at the time they are usually paid. Farmers have loans, money owed to banks, massive input costs and now more than ever they have significant costs. It is important that those payments are made on time. Everything that the Department can do needs to be done to make sure we are not seeing delays of three or four weeks to farmers getting payments that they desperately need and rely on.

See this speech in context