Every farmer that made a valid application to the Agri-Climate Rural Environmental Scheme (ACRES) last year must receive a payment in 2023, regardless of whether they secured a place in the scheme or not, the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has said.
The association has called for clarity on how the government plans to support the 16,000 farmers who applied to the scheme but did not secure a place in tranche one of it.
It has been known for some time that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is exploring options on how the farmers which fell into this gap can be supported going forward.
Speaking about the issue after the IFA’s Farming and Climate Summit in Thomond Park earlier this week, rural development chair Michael Biggins said farmers need to know what this support will look like.
“How much it [the support] will be, how it will be administered; that has yet to be decided,” he said.
“Farmers cannot be left in limbo wondering if they will receive a payment at the end of the year.
“Agri-environment scheme payments make up a substantial part of family farm income each year, particularly for low-income drystock farmers,” he added.
He stated that every farmer that made a valid ACRES application last year must receive a payment in 2023, whether it is a tranche one ACRES payment or a similar upfront tranche two payment.
“With all the pressure on the sector to meet its climate targets, it’s important that farmers on the ground do not lose out, said Biggins.
He stated that the IFA has been raising the issue repeatedly as the need for clarity is becoming more urgent, so that farmers can plan for the months ahead.
“Whatever form of ‘gap’ support materialises must be simply administered and tangible, not purely token support and a box-ticking exercise,” he concluded.
During the IFA conference, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue said that he would not be giving a timeline in relation to a decision on the matter.
However, he did reiterate his ambition to find places in the scheme for all who applied. He said:
“I want, if we can, to accommodate everyone but first and foremost I have to make sure that we can run the scheme effectively and it works for everyone who is involved.
“My team are working very hard at the moment to assess the capacity to do that and I hope to conclude that work as soon as we can. But the scheme only closed early December and there’s a lot of issues to consider,” the minister added.