Galway Bay fm newsroom - Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed has ruled out a compensation package for Galway tillage farmers, ahead of a planned protest at government buildings next Wednesday.
Up to 60 farmers and 200 along the western seaboard had crops destroyed by adverse weather last year and have been lobbying the government for financial support.
The farmers are looking for a once-off scheme worth around 3.8 million euro to help grain farmers offset losses.
In a statement to Galway Bay fm News, Agriculture Minister Michael Creed says that he's fully aware of the difficulties that poor weather posed for harvesting.
He says there is no indication of a European Commission package for the tillage sector.
Minister Creed argues that some support was given in the last Budget by providing a 150 million euro Agri Cash Flow Support Scheme.
He says it'll deliver a loan fund which will support highly flexible loans for up to 6 years for amounts up to 150 thousand euro.
The loans will be unsecured and are primarily to pay down expensive forms of credit such as merchant credit and overdrafts.
The Department adds that there have been additional tax measures and farm payments to alleviate the burden on farmers.
However farmers feel that a loan scheme is of little benefit to crop farmers who have little or no income left due to the loss of harvest.
