Minister of Agriculture Martin Heydon must intervene on outstanding payments under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), according to the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA).The association called on the Department, as
15,000 farmers are still awaiting payments from the 2023 and 2024 sections of the scheme.
Minister of Agriculture Martin Heydon must intervene on outstanding payments under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), according to the Irish Natura and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA).
The association called on the Department, as 15,000 farmers are still awaiting payments from the 2023 and 2024 sections of the scheme.
INHFA president Vincent Roddy stressed the need to get payments out to these farmers.
“No other sector of society would accept this,” he said.
“The minister and his Department have a duty of care to these farmers that they need to recognise and act on.”
Payments
In addition, the INHFA pointed to the 10,216 farmers who were paid for 2023, but are now awaiting their first payment for 2024.
Roddy said that the Department staff should be able to get an immediate payment of 85% out to these farmers if they base it on their 2023 payment.
“For all other farmers, if the IT issues can’t be resolved by the end of this month, the minister will need to issue an interim payment as was done last year.
Roddy compared how the Department has “chased down farmers for monies” they may owe and called it a “quite shocking” “double standard”.
He also took issue with the EU Commission, asking why “they haven’t shown the same urgency in delivering justice for Irish farmers as they did in implementing additional regulation of farmers through GAEC 2 conditionality.”
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