A TD has said that cash-flow for many farmers, especially hill farmers, is “in disarray” due to what she called the “disastrous” management of the Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).
Independent Sligo-Leitrim TD Marina Harkin has said that the administration of the scheme has been “a shambles” and that farmers have been left with a significant gap in anticipated income.
Amid ongoing criticism of the handling of the scheme by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Harkin commented: “This scheme was meant to engage farmers in the environmental enhancement of their farms and farming practices while rewarding them for their efforts.
“We are two years into the scheme and, for many, especially for hill farmers, this scoring process has not been completed and they have no idea how much and when they are due to de paid.
“Farmers have made plans on the basis of ACRES payments and find their cash flow is in disarray thanks to this confusion and uncertainty,” Harkin added.
Payments for involvement in ACRES are supposed to be based on environmental improvements through a process of scoring. However, many farmers are yet to find out what their scores are, and thus are uncertain as to how much money they can expect.
“To add to the mayhem, in the absence of finalised scoring, last March the department made contingency payments…to farmers. Now, with the scoring completed, it has been found that many were overpaid, and the department is attempting to claw back this money either directly or through further payments,” Harkin said.
“It’s bad enough not knowing whether you will be paid for participating in a scheme. It’s even worse to be in a situation where you are not sure if monies received will be taken from you.”
According to the TD, one farmer had made the point to her that he would face “hefty” fines for late submission of relevant paperwork, but that there is “no sanction” on the department for delays associated with ACRES.
“We all know that engaging farmers in sustainable farming practices and in the environmentally progressive management of their farms is vital as we tackle climate change and biodiversity loss,” Harkin said.
“The disastrous management of ACRES is doing huge damage to farmer goodwill in the area of environmental and ecological innovation and improvement,” she added.
The TD claimed that the issues surrounding ACRES will make farmers “very slow to engage” in future environmental schemes.
“Minister (for Agriculture, Food and the Marine) Charlie McConalogue needs to sort this out as a priority. The problems with the scheme are plain to everyone involved. It is his job to find solutions,” she commented.