Rural MP Calls for DARD Minister to Consider Position

Speaking after receiving the news that the decision by DARD to allocate the new Rural Development Fund on a first come first served basis may now result in the scheme being scrapped, the MP for the farming constituency of South Down said;

“The admission by the Sinn Fein Minister for Agriculture that the first come first served basis was the best way her Department could deliver this grant is pathetic and unacceptable no matter how we look at it. First of all it is unheard of that an industry has to queue cap in hand for a grant they are by law entitled to. Added to this is the gross unfairness of the first come first served system, coming from a Political Party who claim to put equality and fairness at the centre of all they do. The fact that farmers had to queue was a personal insult to farmers and their communities, and worse than that it was a gross injustice to those who could not queue due to ill heath, farm or family circumstances.

It is disgraceful that the Department of Agriculture, when advised clearly from the European Commission that when it comes to modernisation methods like this grant, the rules say that you have to make the decision on who gets the money based on clear criteria, proceeded with a system with no criteria. This first come first served system placed many farmers and landowners in great hardship, queuing for days to receive this grant, let alone the pressure it has placed on the local DARD office staff.

The Minister spent all of this (Tuesday) morning on the radio and other media outlets defending her decision to have this grant allocated on a first come first served basis. Yet it is now very clear this method is not acceptable to the European Commission and the Minister should have known this for some time.

Obviously the Minister needs to consider her position. We cannot have a repeat of such ad-hockery in the future. The Ministers duty is to protect and preserve the farming and rural community and she has clearly failed in this regard.

Ends.