The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has acknowledged the significant level of frustration among farmers over the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).
That is according to the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) which made the comments following an ACRES review meeting organised by the department this week.
IFA Rural Development Committee chair John Curran said that “the ball is now firmly in the department’s court” to deliver the real and substantive change that is needed in the agri-environment scheme.
“With ACRES we need to simplify the whole process; improve lines of communication and transparency for farmers, and ultimately deliver more money into the farmers pocket,” he said.
Curran said that the department is “aware and fully understands” the frustrations among farmers with ACRES, particularly among those in ACRES Co-operation (CP) areas.
“We all know the limitations of operating within the EU Commission rule-book, but the DAFM need to be innovative and make tangible changes in the short-term for the benefit of farmers and the environment.
“Doing nothing and expecting things to sort themselves out will not work at this stage,” he said.
ACRES
Curran said that the IFA offered a series of “tangible and practical solutions” to the department, including around improved communications; transparency; scoring and non-productive investments (NPIs).
“The department needs to take responsibility and be upfront and honest with farmers.
“What we heard at the meeting was that most of the delays for most of the 3,000 odd tranche 1 applicants is because of IT issues on the department side, nothing to do with the farmer at all,” he said.
IFA Hill Farming Committee chair Caillin Conneely added that farmers are currently “just sick of ACRES”.
“It’s just generally accepted that it’s a mess. In the long-term, maybe that is the biggest risk here, in terms of future scheme participation. Farmers deserve better.
“The next meeting of the group is in mid-January, but in the interim, I’d encourage any farmer with outstanding training; LESS; soil sampling; rare breed requirements to get it sorted sooner rather than later. The next and last payment run of the year is next week,” he said.