As the Department works towards getting ACRES (Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme) payments out to farmers, there is belief that the hold-up in these payments has caused irreparable damage to this and future agri-environment schemes.
Speaking on this National Chair of the Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) Pheilim Molloy stated how “the recent progress made in getting balancing payments out, while positive, is very much a case of too little too late.” “As we move into June and past the half point of the ACRES Programme we need to recognise that there are over 1,000 farmers that applied to join ACRES in November 2022 still awaiting their balancing payments” stated Molloy. “For these farmers and many more that have only been paid in recent weeks, the wait for their payment in addition to clarity on their overall payment is unacceptable” added the INHFA Chair.
Beyond these 1,000 farmers there is, Molloy continued “over 5,400 farmers still awaiting their first payment for 2024 which accounts to 10% of the 54,082 participants in the ACRES programme.”
All of this has Molloy stressed “left many farmers in a vulnerable financial position, due to the uncertainty around payment dates and the balance of their overall payment.” This will, he continued “leave these farmers reluctant to join future schemes, especially where there isn’t a clear indication of what payment farmers can expect to get, as well as definite timelines around these payment dates.”
The INHFA representative also highlighted concerns around habitat scoring for commonage farmers in the Co-operation (C.P) areas. For these farmers Landscape Actions (LAs) were included to assist farmers on improving their habitat score but as of yet none of these actions have been made available.
Molloy stated that “this is another example of farmers losing out due to the failures of the Department who have indicated that these actions will not be available until the second or third quarter of this year.”
Based on previous ACRES deadlines it is he added “reasonable to now assume that these LAs won’t be available until at least September which will be too late to positively influence the habitat scoring that has already started on these commonages.”
In concluding Molloy outlined how “for these farmers and indeed all other farmers in ACRES, the inability by the Department to deliver on payment dates and the actions to support farmers will be the defining element of the scheme, as well as being a major factor in their decision to partake (or not) in any future agri-environment scheme.”