A requirement that only advisors can upload photographs for the late meadow bonus payment under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) has been described as “illogical” by Sinn Féin’s agriculture, food and rural affairs spokesperson.
Deputy Claire Kerrane said that under the Results Based Environment Agri Pilot Project (REAP), farmers could take a photo of their late meadow cut and upload it to the AgriSnap app themselves.
She said that under ACRES, the same requirement is there, but the fact that photographs can only be uploaded by advisors is “completely illogical”.
“Concerns have been raised that advisors are unlikely to be able to take and upload photos of cut meadows on top of their existing workload, which many are worried they will be unable to complete by the current end of August deadline.
“It is also the case that the photo of the late cut meadow has to be taken either on the day or no more than five days later,” Deputy Kerrane added.
Under the ACRES rules the earliest date that meadows may be cut for hay/silage was July 1 and the latest date to qualify for the bonus payment is August 31.
ACRES
In order to claim for the late meadow bonus payment a geotagged photograph of the mown meadow must be submitted via the AgriSnap app to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM).
Deputy Kerrane has queried why farmers who were previously uploading photographs under the REAP scheme now have “this administrative burden now being placed on advisors instead?”.
She added: “Yet again, the department have put in place rigid administrative rules, which could unfairly penalise farmers and which add even more pressure onto advisors.
“I have highlighted the significant stress that advisors are under with workloads in summer months several times now.
“It has already been made clear to the minister that advisors are under pressure to meet scoring deadlines and the negative effect this could have for farmers in receiving payment under ACRES, through no fault of their own.”
According to Sinn Féin councillor and farmer Brendan Barry, who is participating in the ACRES scheme, many farmers now fear that their advisors will simply be too busy to submit photographs for the late meadow bonus payment.
“There are worries that we’ll miss out on payments because advisors are up to their eyes and in my own case I have taken a geotagged photograph and uploaded it so the department at least has a record for my late meadow bonus payment claim if my advisor cannot get back to me to within the timeframe,” Barry added.