Confusion, frustration and anger would be the three words that summed up the atmosphere in Drumshanbo on Tuesday night at a meeting organised by Leitrim IFA to highlight the concerns that farmers have surrounding the new ACRES scheme.

Leitrim IFA chair Liam Gilligan told the meeting that he had been inundated with calls from farmers in the last week, following news that payments to around 20,000 farmers are being delayed by the Department of Agriculture.

“Farmers went into this scheme with good faith to deliver on its objectives, but the Department of Agriculture haven’t kept their side of the bargain.

“There is massive confusion out there, and farmers haven’t a clue where they stand in relation to getting paid or what they have do as part of the scheme,” Gilligan said.

Many of the farmers present are participants in the ACRES cooperation scheme, which was supposed to have a maximum payment of €10,500.

However, many farmers present have only received €5,000 so far in relation to the 2023 payment and they vented their frustration and anger at not being able to achieve the maximum payment due to delays in the approval process.

Criticism

Many criticised the Department of Agriculture system for administering the scheme as not fit for purpose.

The Non Productive Investment (NPI) measure approval process could take until the end of the year, by which time two years will have passed where farmers haven’t had the chance to make these investments on their farm.

Sligo farmer Eddie Davitt was seething. “Charlie McConalogue conned us into this scheme. We were told that we could get an extra €3,500 per farm into hill areas, but that hasn’t happened.

“Farmers have become the Mickey Mouse pawns and are being used to draw down millions of euro to prop up expert groups, advisors and facilitators.

“They are the real winners out of this, not farmers. It’s not right and it won’t be forgotten at the next general election, which is just around the corner,” Davitt said.