Farmers in Fermanagh and Tyrone have to wait longer for their Single Farm Payment money thank other areas of Northern Ireland, according to Tom Elliott, MLA.

The Ulster Unionist MLA has expressed his concerns about the management of the agricultural separtment at Stormont, particularly in relation to its treatment of Fermanagh and South Tyrone, which has over 50% more outstanding Single Farm Payments than any other constituency.

He stated:“The on-going saga of delayed SFP payments continues to badly effect many farmers, through no fault of their own. Yes there has been progress in some areas, but my colleagues and I continue to hear many complaints especially in Tyrone, Fermanagh and North Antrim.

“When my party colleague Robin Swann put the issues to Minister O’Neill, he was able to obtain evidence that in North Antrim you were almost four times more likely to have you payment delayed compared to South Down, but even worse if you happen to farm in Fermanagh or South Tyrone you were well over five times more likely to have payments held back.

“No-one should have their payments delayed unnecessarily at all, but it is even more important that such decisions are fair and open. I call on the Minister to investigate this imbalance immediately and ensure this year’s payments arrive one time for everyone.” Councillor Raymond Farrell has also taken up the issue with the Minister. A reply from Dr. Jason Foy, Head of the Single Farm Payment Branch at DARD, stated: “A number of farm businesses in Fermanagh have been selected for inspection using Control with Remote Sensing which uses satellite photography to assess the eligibility of land for Single Farm Payment.

The results of these inspections are currently being processed by the Department and payments have been issued to over 700 of the 1,139 farm businesses inspected through this method in two zones in Northern Ireland. It is anticipated that the remaining businesses will be paid by the end of April. This will be two months earlier than in 2012 and four months earlier than in 2011.”