This is a subscriber-only article
The new Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) is “designed to discourage people from farming”, says the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA).
IFA rural development chair Michael Biggins said that as currently proposed, “ACRES is restrictive and complicated” and called for the environmental scheme to be given an enhanced budget and greater flexibilities.
He warned that ACRES will “inflict more compliance costs on farmers, resulting in less income” and said that “in order to achieve the average payment, farmers will have to commit more land to lower levels of production compared to previous schemes”.
Biggins was speaking following a meeting with the Department of Agriculture on ACRES as proposed.
The Irish Farmers Journal recently revealed the proposed measures and payment rates to be available to farmers under the new scheme.
All accepted
Biggins said that all farmers must be accepted into the scheme and those applying in 2023 must be paid in the same year.
“There is a real concern about income if there is a lag between GLAS and ACRES, which will be caused by the tranche approach. Not accepting all participants into the scheme in 2023 is totally unacceptable.
"GLAS/ACRES payments are a critically important part of farmers’ incomes. It is essential that all applicants under all tranches receive a payment in 2023,” he said.
Additional funding
Biggins called on Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to “allocate additional money and to ensure all valid scheme applications are accepted, while also ensuring that no farmer is left without an environment scheme payment for 2023".
“This can be done by either rolling over 12,000 GLAS 3 participants for 2023 or alternatively by paying an upfront payment in 2023 for tranche two ACRES participants, similar to the way REPS payments were in the past,” he said.
The Mayo farmer described how under ACRES, it is proposed that 20,000 farmers, in eight areas identified by the Department, would receive a payment of up to €10,500, with an average payment of €7,400. These will participate in the scheme through co-operative project teams.
The remaining farmers will participate in the general option and will receive a maximum payment of approximately €7,311, with an average payment of €5,000.
‘More flexibility’
Biggins said that low input permanent pasture (LIPP), which was a very important measure for farmers in GLAS, has been seriously curtailed and that, consequently, farmers are left with the option of a prescription-based measure with much lower payment rates or a results-based measure which will also mean reduced payments for the measure.
“Payment rates and more flexibility for farmers to choose measures suitable for their farms must be improved upon. The payment rate of €10,500 per farmer cannot be limited to just 20,000 farmers in the co-operative areas,” he said.
The rural development chair said that farmers in the co-operation zones must be given more flexibility to choose general actions and should not be limited to result-based measures plus non-productive investments and landscape actions.
Designated land
IFA hill committee chair Cáillin Conneely said that in GLAS, farmers on Natura 2000 land received a payment based on the designation, but ACRES requires farmers on designated land to select an action to qualify for payment.
He highlighted that farmers on designated land already have to deal with extra restrictions and said that compliance costs associated with the designations and ACRES as it is currently proposed will add additional requirements to these farmers.
He called for designated land to qualify for payment without a farmer incurring additional costs and said that farmers should not be forced to accept additional requirements to receive payment.
“If the scheme is to live up to expectations, payment rates for all measures must be improved upon and the payment rate of €10,500 per farmer for the co-operative areas should also be available to farmers in the scheme general option,” said Biggins.
SHARING OPTIONS: