Rural Development Council Report November 2024

Scheme Updates

ACRES

• Balancing payments to ACRES General participants who had previously been paid an advance payment and General and Co-operation participants who had received an interim payment, commenced on 19 June 2024. 
  • As of end September 2024, 40,973 participants (24,742 General and 16,231 Cooperation), or 91% of all ACRES participants, had been paid a further €37.8 million, bringing the total amount paid to just under €246 million.
  •  A further 4,050 ACRES participants remain to be paid their balancing payments.  
  • The issues associated with these cases fall into a number of categories, including:
    • changes of ownership/transfers of contracts due to a variety of circumstances;  
    • queried or unsubmitted scorecards in respect of results-based payments; 
    • outstanding queries on the relevant BISS applications; 
    •  reconciliation of mapping-related discrepancies, for example between BISS and ACRES applications, and between scorecard and DAFM mapping data
  • The average balancing payment to those farmers whose interim payment did not exceed their total ACRES payment has been approximately €1,732 (General €2,094 / CP €1,573).
  •  In cases where farmers received an interim payment which exceeded their total ACRES payment due for 2023, the average overpayment has been approximately €1,737 (General €1,209 / CP €1,858).  
  • Of the 40,973 farmers who have received their full payment to date, the average total payment for ACRES General participants has been €5,200 and the average total core payment for those in the Cooperation stream has been €5,100. 
  • To date, 8,673 interim payment recipients (1,612 ACRES General and 7,061 ACRES Co-operation) have received an overpayment, which represents 40% of all those participants who received an interim payment and whose balancing payment has been fully processed and letters have issued;
  • 60% (13,201) have received a balancing payment after the interim payment.
  • A total of 1,620 farmers from the 56,086 who applied over the two tranches of ACRES have withdrawn to date. This equates to a withdrawal rate of 2.9%.
  • Preparations are ongoing in respect of advance payments to the 54,500 active participants in Tranches 1 and 2 of ACRES in 2024. These payments are scheduled to commence by the end of November 2024.  
  • The Minister for Agriculture has announced that a review of ACRES will be undertaken by DAFM in consultation with the farming organisations over the coming months. 
  • For more information on scorecards etc, please see Hill Farming Report.

TAMS 

• Payments under TAMS 3 have commenced and continue to issue on a weekly basis as claims are submitted in respect of completed investments. Tranche 5 is currently open for applications and will close on Friday, December 6, 2024
• Tranche 4 closed on 6^th September, with 5,864 applications received. 
• DAFM appear to be getting on top of approvals and payments, with approx €1-1.5m in payments being issued weekly.  
• DAFM have issued 18,529 approvals under TAMS 3 to date, with 3,898 payment claims submitted.
• Payments have been made to 2, 539 applicants, with a value of €24m.
• The new 70% Nutrient Importation Scheme is now open. 
• Eligible: Circular slurry stores; geomembrane lined tanks; manure pits.
• 70% up to the max €90k investment ceiling per holding for all Nutrient Storage Investments.
• Have a contract in place for each year for a minimum of 5 years to import nutrients, which should declare the volume of organic fertiliser to be imported;
• Have a whole farm stocking rate of less than 150kg N/ha (as defined in Statutory Instrument 113/2022 as amended) in the year preceding submission of application; 
• If operating a holding with a grassland stocking rate >130kg N/ha, have undertaken soil sampling in line with the requirements of the Nitrates Action Plan. 
• If operating arable holdings, have undertaken soil sampling in line with the requirements of the Nitrates Action Plan.

Direct Payments Update

• ANC advance payments (85%) commenced on Tuesday, 20^th September. To date, €202 million has been paid to 94,674 farmers. Payments are ongoing weekly as stocking rates/retention periods are met. The 15% balancing payment will be issued in December. 
• The 70% advance payment under BISS was made on 17^th October. 93% of farmers paid advance to a value of €506m, exceeding Charter target of 90%. At present, €526m has been paid out to 113,500 farmers. Payments continuing weekly as they become clear. 
• Eco-scheme advance payment (70%) paid on 21^st October. 94% of farmers paid on first run. Total of €199m issued to 111,500 farmers to date. 
• Balancing payment expected early December. Farmers encouraged to respond to any outstanding queries to ensure payment is cleared.
• Following calls from IFA, a postponement on the clawback of entitlements will be extended to 2025. 

Fodder Transport Support Scheme

• Payments under the Fodder Transport Support Scheme were issued to Co-Operatives on the 18^th October. Payments totalling €2.1m will issue to 669 farmers 
• The movement of 48,132 bales and 19,114 tonnes of fodder has been supported by this measure, with 24 Co-Operatives participating in the scheme

COPA Update

• IFA continues to participate on a number of COPA groups, most recently attending the CAP working Party in Brussels and a Civil Dialogue Group on Environment and Climate Change and CAP Strategic Plans and Horizontal Matters. 

Activity since last council

• The Rural Development Committee met in September in the Farm Centre
• Met DAFM on ACRES & TAMS issues in early September 
• Engaged with DAFM on the re-development of Agfood. IFA have nominated relevant executives/chairpersons to sector specific working groups for contributions
• Attended the first Farmers Charter of Rights Monitoring Committee meeting in Portlaoise 
• Made submission on amendments to the Rural Development Programme and CAP Strategic Plan.
  • Proposed amendments include the postponement of the clawback on sale of entitlements for 2025 as well as a 60% Nutrient Storage Scheme under TAMS with a dedicated €90,000 ceiling.
• Agriculture Appeals (Amendment) Bill 2024 passed by the Oireachtas.
  • Once enacted, the Bill will provide for the establishment of a new independent statutory body, to be known as the “Agriculture Appeals Review Panel”

Upcoming events

• The Rural Development Chairman John Curran will attend the CDG on CAP Strategic Plans and Horizontal Matters in Brussels on 7^th November 
• IFA will meet with DAFM to discuss a number of proposals as part of a review of the ACRES scheme on 14^th November 
• The Rural Development Committee will meet on 26th November in the Farm Centre
• The next Farmers Charter of Rights Monitoring Committee meeting will take place on 12^th December
• Ongoing assistance with scheme queries and farm payment/appeal issues