Violet-Anne Wynne (Clare, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I appreciate the information the Minister has provided but I also want to talk about late payments. Basic income support for sustainability, BISS, payments were a week late and areas of natural constraint, ANC, payments were a month late. The latter were advertised as advance payments but, in fact, came later in the year than their predecessor payments. Farmers are financially drained. An awful lot of farmers in the county will be getting a lot less money than they normally would at this time of year according to Mr. Tom Lane, chair of the IFA in Clare. This has significant implications for farmers and has disproportionately affected them with regard to practical matters such as worming and vaccination payments to vets. It has led to significant constraints on their livelihoods. It should not have happened. Will the Minister ensure it will not happen again next year? Can the payments be brought forward to avoid these kinds of burdens on farmers?

The change to the nitrates derogation has been an abject failure and has resulted in farmers feeling targeted and punished. A number of questions remain in this regard. I will raise two points. The first is that the nitrates statements that all farmers get are not a true representation of where they are. They do not include grazing and slurry agreements. Can these be updated? With regard to reducing herd numbers, many questions remain. This issue will have very significant implications, especially for animal welfare.

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