The prolonged delay in processing payments under the ACRES scheme continues to erode the trust and confidence of Irish farmers in government schemes, according to Independent MEP for Ireland South Michael McNamara.
The Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) is designed to support farmers in adopting environmentally friendly practices, with payments varying dependent on the level of commitment and measures taken by each individual farm, but with over 10,000 farmers in Ireland waiting on their 2024 ACRES payment, and almost one in four of those also waiting on their 2023 balancing payment, McNamara believes that as the wait goes on, confidence in government schemes is diminished.
“Farmers throughout Ireland have undertaken a huge body of work to become compliant with the requirements of the ACRES scheme, expecting to receive payment for their commitments processed in a timely manner, which has ultimately not been the case. Thousands of farmers have been left out of pocket for their efforts for too long, and if this continues, the trust of Irish farmers in CAP schemes, which is already wearing thin, will only be further deteriorated,” McNamara said.
While the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has stated that 2024 payments will commence as scheduled in May, measures need to be established by the Department to ensure that such delays do not become an annual issue, according to MEP McNamara.
“Farmers’ continued frustration with such schemes is just, and assurances are needed from the Minister and the Department that we won’t see these issues every year. Permanent solutions need to be put in place, ensuring that Irish farmers are rewarded for their environmental commitments in a fair and transparent timeframe which the Department can commit to,” McNamara stated.
He concluded: “Blaming admin and IT issues again this year, as happened last year, is not credible. Those providing inefficient IT systems and those managing them need to be replaced if they genuinely cannot make them work on time. Farmers need to be given certainty that their commitments made to schemes are worthwhile, but the current system and delays are wholly unacceptable.”
