ACRES Review Meeting Highlights Multiple Issues

Speaking after the DAFM organised ACRES Review meeting this week, IFA Rural Development Chair John Curran said the ball is now firmly in the Department’s court to deliver the real and substantive change that’s needed.

“With ACRES we need to simplify the whole process; improve lines of communication/transparency for farmers, and ultimately deliver more money into the farmers pocket,” he said.

‘The Department say they are aware and fully understand the frustrations among farmers with ACRES, particularly among those in Co-operation areas. We all know the limitations of operating within the Commission rule-book, but the DAFM need to be innovative and make tangible changes in the short-term for the benefit of farmers and the environment. Doing nothing and expecting things to sort themselves out will not work at this stage.”

“IFA relayed again the huge frustration among farmers with the implementation of the scheme, but also offered a series of tangible and practical solutions (around improved communications; transparency; scoring; NPIs etc) for an improved agri-environmental scheme,” he said.

The Department needs to take responsibility and be upfront and honest with farmers. What we heard at the meeting was that most of the delays for most of the 3,000 odd Tranche 1 applicants is because of IT issues on the Department side, nothing to do with the farmer at all.

IFA Hill Farming chair Caillin Conneely said, “At the minute, farmers are just sick of ACRES. It’s just generally accepted that it’s a mess. In the long-term, maybe that is the biggest risk here, in terms of future scheme participation. Farmers deserve better”.

“The next meeting of the group is in mid-January, but in the interim, I’d encourage any farmer with outstanding training; LESS; Soil Sampling; Rare Breed requirements to get it sorted sooner rather than later. The next and last payment run of the year is next week.”