The Sinn Féin spokesperson on agriculture and rural development, Martin Kenny, has told the Dáil that the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) is “simply not working” for some farmers.

During a Dáil debate on Budget 2025 Deputy Kenny commented on the fact that he gets calls “every day from farmers complaining” about ACRES.

The Sligo–Leitrim TD said farmers “cannot get their payments, do not know what their scores are, do not know what is happening”.

He added: “The department tells them that its IT system is not working. It is just a mess.

“There needs to be recognition that a complete hames has been made of ACRES up to now.

“To put more money into it at a time when the department does not have it straightened out raises the point that the department had better get it right for farmers”.

In Budget 2025 €60 million was allocated to ACRES which brings the total scheme funding to €260 million in 2025.

Kenny

Deputy Kenny also warned during the Dáil debate that many farmers are uncertain about their future.

He said there needed to be “certainty” brought to agriculture and “a sense that there is a future there for people to go back on to the family farm”.

According to the Sinn Féin spokesperson on agriculture and rural development, Budget 2025 did not go far enough in relation to some key issues including the ‘Forgotten Farmers’ and the Residential Zoned Land Tax (RZLT).

Deputy Kenny said more could be done for the Forgotten Farmers and in relation to the RZLT there needs to be more detail on what it means for farmers.

He also warned that income volatility remains a “huge problem” for farm families.

“Farmers are very uncertain because they see the big players dominating all the time and there needs to be a firm hand of government to ensure there will be fair play, that the people who take all of the risks and put in all of the work get a fair return for that work.

“That is the issue farmers have and that is why more young people are choosing not to go in to farming,” Deputy Kenny stated.