DAA encourages dairy farmers to return forms

Dairy Adjustment Authority (DAA) Chairman, Mr Patrick Musgrave advised today that many of Australia's eligible dairy farmers are yet to provide the DAA with the paperwork that will allow the DAA to issue their first Dairy Structural Adjustment Program (DSAP) payment.

"To date, the DAA has prepared payments for over 13,500 of the 30,000 DSAP applicants, however the Authority has only been able to complete payments to around 8,000 of these, as the remainder have not yet returned the paperwork necessary to allow the payment to be transferred into their bank account", Mr Musgrave said.

Farmers must complete and return three documents prior to the DAA finalising the payments - the Payment Account form, the Commonwealth Support or Adjustment Payments declaration form and the Farm Business Assessment declaration form.

"The DAA is surprised that over 5,000 farmers of the original 13,500 processed have been slow to return their forms. By not completing them, they are delaying their first payment."

"The Farm Business Assessment declaration form is due on 19 February 2001, but the sooner they return it, the sooner they can be paid."

"The Payment Account form and the Commonwealth Support and Assistance declaration form were sent out with the farmers Notice of Decision more than a month ago," Mr Musgrave added, "and these must be returned as well."

Without these forms being completed and returned the DAA cannot make the payments into the dairy farmers' specified bank accounts.

"We need this information so that we can be certain that the right payment is being made to the right person", Mr Musgrave said.

"As soon as we realised the extent of this issue we arranged for a greater allocation of the DAA's resources to be directed toward assisting farmers complete this last stage of their DSAP obligations."

"DAA staff are now telephoning dairy farmers individually, advising them which of their forms remain outstanding, and assisting them with the completion of the forms over the telephone, if necessary", Mr Musgrave concluded. Ends Contact: Ian Harvey Ph: 03 9507 2315