40% farmers could lose out on FWMS grant

Two fifths of farmers who have applied for Farm Waste Management Scheme (FWMS) grants have not completed development work yet, according to a survey.


A poll by the Farming Independent revealed that 40 percent of farmers could lose out on their grants because they had work outstanding.

Meeting the December 31st deadline could prove difficult for the farmers, with the Department of Agriculture saying that it would not extend the cut-off date for completion of construction work.

Last month, Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association president Jackie Cahill said that his discussions with the EU commission gave him the impression that work completed in 2009 could still count with support and called for an extension of the FWMS.

The survey also revealed that two thirds of drystock farmers had completed construction, compared to 55 percent of their dairy counterparts.

Drystock farmers also seemed to be more interested in the scheme, with 64 percent taking it up compared to 34 percent take up among grain growers.

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