The Ulster Farmers’ Union technical team is always there to help its members. They deal with a wide range of issues, including cross compliance, animal health, planning, environmental issues, employment, drainage and penalty appeals to name a few.
Represented two farmers who had been fined 26% of their Single Farm Payment in relation to a late TB test. This ruling was appealed and with medical evidence proving that one brother was ill and hospitalised during this period, it was impossible for the other business partner to gather the animals for the test. £6,500 was returned to the business.
In a young farmer case, DAERA refused payment on the grounds of ‘insufficient outputs’ from the farm business which was a hill sheep farm. Upon appeal the facts of the hill farm’s sheep production where detailed including lambs born late in the season. This meant the sale of this stock was not apparent until the early months of the next calendar year. £8,000 of the single farm payment was subsequently paid.
A farmer claimed for tranche one of the Farm Business Improvement grant. His application had been refused because the Inspector felt that the machine was second hand. As a result, the entire claim was rendered invalid. Upon writing to Countryside Services and stating that the machine had simply been used by the farmer for its intended purpose of ‘sub soiling’ a field, this decision was overturned and payment of £8,700 was made.
A Fermanagh farmer had silage growing in a field on an out farm. Fibrus where putting poles along the roadside and drilled through a public sewage pipe, The resultant effluent ran through the field for two days before NI Water repaired it. A damages claim was submitted to Fibrus who deferred it to their contractors. A claim for loss of crop and reseeding costs was submitted for £6,600. This was substantiated by reference to DAERA official statistics for silage yields, costs per tonne and DAERA figures for reseeding costs. The UFU technical officer was able to substantiate the claim submitted via these authenticated figures and subsequently the claim is now agreed and will be paid in full.
If you’re a UFU member and facing a challenge on the farm, don’t hesitate to reach out. Simply contact your local UFU group office and ask to be put in touch with a technical officer. Help is always at hand, you don’t have to tackle farm problems alone.
