The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA) has called for Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) payments which are “already overdue” under the Farmers’ Charter to be issued “immediately”.
The new Farmers’ Charter 2023-2027 was agreed in July between the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) and the main farming organisations.
The charter sets out the timelines for applications, payments, inspections and appeals.
ICMSA
ICMSA deputy president Eamon Carroll said that the issue dates for ACRES payments as outlined in the charter document have already passed.
He has called on the Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine Charlie McConalogue to issue the 2024 ACRES payment that is due to over 50,000 farmers.
He added that outstanding payments under the 2023 scheme need to be finalised as many farmers are “waiting unacceptably long periods for monies that were due that years and through no fault of their own”.
“Under the Farmers Charter 2023-2027, the Minister committed to commence payment of 100% of ‘cleared’ ACRES cases by the end of November 2024.
“Farmers habitually plan their outgoing payments on the basis that such incoming payments are in their accounts on those due dates and any delay can cause very significant issues for farmers,” he said.
Carroll said that farmers could understand some “teething difficulties” with payments during the first year of the agri-environmental scheme in 2023.
“Given that the department agreed to commence payments by the end of November under the Farmers Charter agreed last July, we find the delays being experienced now very difficult to understand and troublesome.
“The minister made these very serious commitments and it’s up to him to make good on them,” he said.
The ICMSA will be raising the issue at a meeting of the Farmers’ Charter Monioring Committee, later this week along with the issue of outstanding 2023 payments.
“We’ll want assurances that all outstanding payments are being issued immediately,” Carroll said.