Heydon accused of being 'out of touch' when it comes to ACRES
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine Martin Heydon has been accused of being "out of touch and disconnected from the stress and financial hardship" that farmers who have not received an Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) payment are under.
The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has hit back at Minister Heydon's recent statement to the Seanad in relation to 2024 payments during which he said “we were at 14,500 or thereabouts two months ago, but we are down below 10,000 now”.
The minister told senators that he wanted to provide "reassurance to people as we are making progress".
Minister Heydon added: "I gave a very clear commitment in the Dáil and I give the same commitment here in the upper house that it is my intention to have the vast majority of these cases resolved, cleared and paid by the end of May, with the most difficult and problematic ones to be cleared by the end of June.
“That is a commitment I am sticking to. I review those figures every week. I am keeping a very close eye on it and publishing these figures very regularly as well.”
However, Francie Gorman, president of the IFA,was highly critical of the minister's assertion that the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) was making progress on what the organisation described as the "ACRES debacle".
Gorman said: “How can the minister say real progress is being made when there are still thousands awaiting ACRES payments.
"These payments were due last November, with over 2,000 of these awaiting balancing 2023 payments as well.
"It's an insult to these farm families to call that progress."
Minister Heydon had told senators that in relation to ACRES one of the issues that DAFM was dealing with was “about addressing the interventions we undertake in instances where we identify a problem with a particular application”.
“Some of these problems are on the farmers’ side, including issues around probate and title. I would say more than half of them are on my department’s side, where we have to make interventions," the minister added
But the IFA has claimed that DAFM has not got the "IT functionality to progress cases, even at this stage in year three of a five-year scheme".
Separately Senator Victor Boyhan told Agriland that he also shares the concerns of the IFA in relation to ongoing ACRES issues.
He said DAFM must get its "IT functions up to scratch and fit for purpose".
"It is grossly unfair to ask farmers and food producers to participate in department schemes and then not honour the committee to administer payments and grants on time.
"Cash flow is very tight for farmers and their outgoings and payments have to be honoured too.
"If farmers are to have confidence in department lead schemes they need to be 100% sure that payments due to them with be made on time, no delays, and no excuses," Senator Boyhan added.
