Relevant Matter
Matters involving public funds
Public Policy Area
Agriculture
Period
1 Sep, 2024 to 31 Dec, 2024
Specific Details
Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES)
Intended results
To meet with the Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine.
To highlight that maximum flexibility must be afforded to farmers who were overpaid an interim payment. These overpayment cannot be recouped in full if it pushes farmers into further cashflow pressures.
To highlight that it is unacceptable to delay on approvals on non-productive investments.
To propose how the situation could be improved and to ask that reference costs within Non Productive Investments (NPI) be reviewed to better reflect market realities.
To emphasise that the lack of clarity/transparency and engagement around Ireland's ‘flagship' environmental scheme is simply not acceptable. Farmers entered ACRES in good faith to undergo necessary actions and be paid amounts promised on time. Until the Department are fully able to efficiently execute all components of the scheme, farmers should receive the full annual payment amounts for ACRES Co-operation.
To propose swift approval of NPIs and regular engagement with participating farmers.
To highlight that, with regard to the possible recoupment of excess interim payments, there are still farmers out there that don't know where they stand. Maximum flexibility must apply and any recoupment repaid only on an agreed repayment schedule, spanning the lifetime of ACRES. In a high-cost year, with cashflow pressure building on many farms, farmers cannot be further disadvantaged through no fault of their own.
These commitments have now been watered down and Non-Productive Investment (NPI) decision letters are ‘planned to issue before the end of this year' (up to 12 months after applications closed potentially), and that more than one-third of Tranche 1 applicants will get no balancing payment.
To highlight that farm finances have been hit hard due to weather conditions and the Department cannot stand over pulling any over-payment from the next farm payment.
To highlight the unfairness on the farmers who entered into this scheme in good faith to undergo necessary actions and be paid amounts owed on-time. An agreed repayment schedule is needed, on a case-by-case basis, spanning the lifetime of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES). Otherwise, we are potentially looking at serious cashflow problems later this year.
To urge the Department to pay all Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) CP farmers their €10,500 for this year. It's not the farmers fault that the NPIs are not out, and the applications for Landscape Actions not open. Not getting these extra payments totally undermines farmer confidence in these types of environment schemes. It needs to be resolved quickly.
To call on the Department to urgently engage with the IFA to clarify current situations and outline how it will be resolved, and that farmers will get what they were promised.
To seek an urgent meeting of the Charter Monitoring Committee to get greater clarity and a speedy resolution.
Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity
Francie Gorman IFA President, Joe Sweeney IFA Donegal Chair, Ethan Carvill IFA Regional Executive, Shane Whelan IFA Senior Policy Executive
Did any Designated Public Official(DPO) or former Designated Public Official(DPO) carry out lobbying activities on your behalf in relation to this return? You must include yourself, and answer Yes, if you are a current DPO or a DPO at any time in the past. (What is a Designated Public Official?)
No
Did you manage or direct a grassroots campaign?
No
Was this lobbying done on behalf of a client?
No
Lobbying activity
The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.
Informal communication (11-20)
Designated public officials lobbied
The following DPOs were lobbied during this return period on this specific Subject Matter Area. These DPOs were involved in at least one of the Lobbying Activities listed above, but not necessarily all of them.
As returns are specific to a Subject Matter Area the above Lobbying Activities may be associated with multiple returns.
Amii McKeever
Adviser to Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)
Charlie McConalogue
Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)
Sinead McPhillips
Assistant Secretary (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)