Local TD Denis Naughten will again question Agriculture Minister Simon Coveney on the planned closure of the public desk at the Department of Agriculture offices in Roscommon Town.

“This decision will have a detrimental effect on farmers throughout the region who are not computer literate and will now have to try to deal with sometimes very complex issues over the phone,” stated Denis Naughten.

“In many instances the expertise built up over the years by the staff in Roscommon Town can have an issue addressed in minutes rather than possibly months later through the faceless system proposed by the Department of Agriculture.

“It is important to realise that this can have major financial implications for farmers and their families who must rely on keeping the paperwork in order to protect their single farm payment.

“While it is not possible to keep every public desk open, I believe that it is imperative that one office is maintained in each region to ensure that farmers can continue to have face to face communication with departmental officials on routine issues and that as such the Roscommon office should remain open,” concluded Denis Naughten.