Young Fine Gael calls for urgent action on 'ACRES failings'
The Young Fine Gael agricultural and rural affairs committee has called on Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon to urgently address major flaws in the rollout of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).
The committee claims that the scheme has left many farmers unpaid, and others unfairly disadvantaged due to structural failings within the scheme's design.
The organisation believes that the current tranche inequality has created a two-tier system that is undermining trust.
It said: "While farmers in Tranche 1 received payments on schedule, those in Tranche 2, despite fully complying with scheme requirements, have been left in limbo.
"This is unacceptable, particularly for young farmers who rely on timely payments to manage cashflow and plan investments in sustainable practices."
The committee has also questioned the decision to open Tranche 2 of ACRES while Tranche 1 participants are yet to receive "any payment or meaningful communication" regarding their entitlements.
It has also claimed the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) accepted far more applicants into Tranche 2 than the administrative system could support.
According to Young Fine Gael, this over-subscription has deepened the payment backlog and left compliant farmers waiting months without income or clarity.
The committee also highlighted the "damage done" to former locally led, results-based agri-environmental projects, such as the Burren programme, Hen Harrier Project, and the Pearl Mussel Project.
It said: "These initiatives, once praised across Europe for their farmer-led approach and measurable outcomes, were subsumed into ACRES under the promise of scale and improved delivery.
"Instead, many of their participants have seen a loss of income and a dilution of the results-based ethos that made those schemes successful.
"There should now be serious consideration given to back payments or compensatory support for those farmers who have lost funding and flexibility as a result of being moved under the ACRES umbrella"
The committee has called on Minister Heydon to release a a detailed report into the shortcomings of ACRES to date.
The committee believes the report should include an explanation of the tranche payment discrepancies, the impact of absorbing successful results-based programmes into a centralised scheme, and a plan to ensure equal treatment and timely payments across all participants going forward.
Young Fine Gael's director of agriculture and rural affairs, Dean Kenny said: "While we recognise there has been a marked improvement in the area of farming payments delays since Minister Heydon has been appointed, there are still many unanswered questions.
"These delays have affected the agriculture sector in many different ways, and young farmers in particular, who rely on payments such as ACRES to cover the ongoing costs of running their farms and businesses, we believe have been disproportionately impacted by these failings."
"We believe that these can be rectified somewhat, but only with clear messaging and commitment from the government. If this is not done, there will be many more young farmers that will consider alternative career opportunities," Kenny added.
