The new Government – convening in the Dáil on Wednesday for the first time - will have to find a new way of dealing with farmers, the president of the Irish Farmers' Association (IFA) has said.

Speaking on the first day of the IFA’s 70th annual general meeting (AGM), the organisation’s president said as a new Programme for Government takes hold, a “different” approach to farming needs to be front and centre.

“We have raised a number of issues for the discussions around the Programme for Government.

“There are too many to mention here, but they can be summed up by saying: this new Government has to find a different way to work with farmers.

“Whatever the issue, the approach has to be practical, flexible and grounded in common sense. Too often, unnecessary obstacles are being put in front of farmers,” Gorman said.

ACRES

The IFA president gave the example of Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) in illustration why farming needs a new approach in the 34th Dáil and reiterated his call for a root and branch review of the scheme.

“The environment scheme ACRES is a perfect example of this. Or maybe the worst example. It has certainly generated acres of paper.

“A potentially good scheme undone by its own terms and conditions. It really is the best example going of snatching defeat from the jaws of victory.

“It has been a headwrecker for farmers, for consultants, even the Department has failed to administer this scheme in a timely fashion.

“The [incoming] minister has commenced a review of the scheme, but, already, that review has the hallmarks of re-arranging the deck chairs on the Titanic.

“I said in the Curragh and I am saying it here again today: there must be a fundamental review of ACRES,” he added.

GAEC 2

Gorman said a priority for incoming Minister for Agriculture – expected to be announced this Wednesday – will have to be addressing the issue of farmers on heavy soils having to comply with strict new rules to be eligible for CAP payments.

Under new regulations proposed for the Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) two requirement, 35,000 farmers with peat soils would have to comply with rule changes on drainage, reseeding and ploughing.

“On CAP, once taking office, the new minister will have to deal with the thorny issue of GAEC two on peat soils.

“Since 2021 – that’s going back nearly four years - when this element of EU conditionality appeared first on the horizon, [the] IFA has been lobbying to have this GAEC removed or amended.

“It should have been dealt with in the so-called EU simplification process, which took place last year when other GAECs were amended, but there was little or no support from other countries to do so.

“We were successful in having it deferred for 2023 and 2024, but the pressure is on to see an agreement on it in 2025,” he said.

The recently published proposals are a huge issue for the whole agricultural sector, Gorman said.

“We need a solution, a sensible solution, that protects the thousands of farmers making a living on these peat soils,” he added.