I welcome the opportunity to draw attention to the effective suspension of all schemes under the farm development service in County Clare and the need for the Minister to provide additional allocation to enable staff resume farm inspections. As the budget for such inspections has been spent none is currently being undertaken. This is creating genuine hardship for applicants awaiting final approval under the control of farmyard pollution, dairy hygiene and other schemes and, more importantly, for farmers who have completed their works and are awaiting sanction and grant payment. Substantial sums of money are involved for some of those people. Farmers now operate a business and must meet their borrowing targets. This also affects the contractors employed to carry out the works.
The control of farmyard pollution scheme has been dogged by financial difficulties. Is this a delaying tactic to save the paltry amounts involved in paying expenses to officers or the relatively large amounts, plus interest, accruing to mainly European funds? Having regard to their additional workload, I am surprised the officers have not sought to have their salaries subject to productivity assessment and substantial increase.
As farmers have shown commendable commitment to improving environmental and hygiene standards under those schemes they must be supported and encouraged. They must have confidence in the operation of the schemes. A charter of rights for farmers must not be a meaningless document. It must under-pin fair play and co-operation between the Department and farmers. In response to a parliamentary question I tabled last week, the Minister promised to speed up the processing of applications under the schemes, but this is not happening. The schemes have effectively collapsed in County Clare. The matter was brought to the Minister's attention during his recent visit to the county and it has also been brought to his attention by the farming organisations.
I call on the Minister to restore the schemes immediately by providing additional finance to allow officers resume work and pay farmers what they are owed. I am pleased the Minister of State is present because, as a man from the west, he should understand the impact of such schemes on farmers in counties Clare, Kerry and elsewhere. I am sure he is also aware of the difficulties farmers experience as a result of such delays.