The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has been urged to extend the closing date for the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) actions under the cooperation project (CP) by the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA).
Under the CP approach farmers can receive up to €10,500 a year, with a maximum results-based core payment of €7,000 and also an extra non-productive investment and landscape maximum of €3,500.
ACRES CP uses a “qualitative approach” where all forage land – according to three main habitat types: grassland, peatland and woodland/scrubland – included in the scheme is assessed using results-based score cards.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) Non-Productive Investments (NPIs) are actions ACRES CP participants can take to “address environmental issues on the farm”, and contribute to environmental objectives or increase the farmers capacity to improve field scores through management.
But the INHFA has warned today (Monday, December 4) that farmers have been asked to make decisions in relation to ACRES CP without currently knowing what their habitat score card is.
It’s vice president, John Joe Fitzgerald, said what this means in reality is that farmers cannot make “informed decisions” on what NPIs actions they need to take.
The deadline for farmers to submit NPIs actions is Wednesday, December 6, and in the region of more than 7,000 applications have been submitted.
INHFA
Fitzgerald said he believes this is a “classic case of putting the cart before the horse, with farmers being left in the dark with regard to their habitat score but still expected to take on board actions which are designed to improve these habitats”.
He said the INHFA is disappointed that farmers have not yet received their habitat assessments and scores, and that the organisation had “always assumed these scores would be with farmers in advance of any closing date for the NPIs”.
The INHFA vice president said despite the 7,000 applications that have been submitted ahead of the December 6 deadline this is ” still less than half of those in ACRES co-operation”.
“I definitely believe if there was more time then we would get more applicants, especially if they had their habitat score”, Fitzgerald added.
The INHFA vice president said that last minute extensions have “often been given” in relation other schemes, and he believes there is a “very strong case” to be made for an extension to the NPIs deadline looming this week.