The Irish Farmers' Association - IFA

Lobbying Organisation The Irish Farmers' Association - IFA

Date published 19 Sep, 2025

Relevant Matter Matters involving public funds

Public Policy Area Finance

Period 1 May, 2025 to 31 Aug, 2025

Specific Details Proposals for an Improved ACRES Scheme- Administration

Intended results To propose • Adequate resources should be deployed to DAFM staffing; I.T infrastructure etc to ensure the swift delivery of payments per the Farmers Charter of Rights. Individual cases (incl. partnerships), which require additional processing, should not be continually pushed out or without payment, as occurred for over 200 farmers within ACRES. Advance payments should issue to all, with any issue/discrepancy corrected via balancing and/or future scheme payments where required. • Alleviate the burden of proof/verification required to receive payments by relying more on self-declaration and/or other mechanisms (e.g. Geo-tagged photos; AMS; AIMS, etc). For the second round of scoring, score a sample of parcels rather than all relevant parcels, incorporating therein the largest; lowest and highest scored parcels. • The cost incurred / income foregone methodology has negated the economic benefit of scheme participation, amplified by delayed NPI/LA approvals; large planner fees for preparation of plans & annual charges. Farmers that implement environmental actions on farm (e.g low scoring commonage areas) should be the main beneficiaries, and better rewarded for their efforts. Given delayed NPI/LA approvals, through no fault of the farmer, it is unlikely the full environmental benefit of actions taken (& consequently financial return through improved parcel scoring) will be reflected within the remaining ACRES period. Consequently, increased payment rates should be offered and/or a return to a ‘whole of farm' approach as per previous agri-environmental schemes implemented. Given their high nature value credentials (and fewer applicable measures noted within ACRES) a standalone payment, or increased payment rates, should be provided for NPWS designated sites (SACs, SPAs, NHAs, pNHAs). • A transitionary period should apply before the impact of scoring takes effect. This should apply also where key scheme components are required, yet are not yet fully functional. In both scenarios, full potential annual payments should be paid to all applicants By way of example - given the late circulation of parcel scoring and non-availability of Non-Productive Investments (NPI)/ Landscape Actions (LA), a full €7,000 / €10,500 payment should be paid to all ACRES applicants for years 1 & 2 (retrospectively if required), with the impact of scoring, where relevant, to apply only from Year 3 onwards, whereafter the farmer has been given ample time and opportunity to correct any anomalies apply / implement environmental measures through NPI / LA to support / improve parcel scoring. This satisfies the results-based approach, and delivers a fair payment to farmers. Increasing possible thresholds for mechanisms not yet available is unreasonable and unacceptable. It places additional pressure on farmers too - incurring larger cash outlays and larger investments/action to recoup fully what was suggested initially through ACRES when approved for the scheme. • Full scheme details must be provided to farmers at the outset. The DAFM / ACRES CP Team agreed protocol of 100m buffer around active turbary should be removed entirely where peat is harvested for personal household use, and on legally held and registered turbary plots assigned by the State. It is excessive, most especially for smaller commonage areas, as currently stands. Under REPS, AEOS, and GLAS, the nett area of the plot harvested was all that was deducted from payment. • Allow for batch approvals processes (NPI / LA) pre closing deadline to reduce wait times between planning and implementation and to ease also advisor workload • Unless to the farmer's advantage, individual terms/ qualifications must hold for at least the term of the new CAP programme. There can be no downward revision or pro-rata reduction in either payment or maximum eligible area within individual measures. • An opt out option without penalty should apply where what was sold & signed up to has not been delivered. • New entrants post 2022 interested in an agri-environmental scheme must be accommodated. Farmers cannot be left without an agri-environmental scheme for the remaining term of the existing CAP programme.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Francie Gorman IFA President, John Curran IFA Rural Development Chair, Shane Whelan IFA Senior Policy Executive, Rachel Moloney IFA 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

Mass communications

Letter All TDs

Submission All TDs

Letter All Senators

Submission All Senators

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Email (11-20)

Meeting (2-5)

Social Media (2-5)

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.

Brian Brennan TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Brian Purcell Special Adviser (Department of Agriculture and the Marine)

Christopher O'Sullivan Minister of State (Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage)

Emer Higgins Minister of State (Department of Public Expenditure, NDP Delivery and Reform)

Helen McEntee Minister (Department of Education)

Jennifer Carroll MacNeill Minister (Department of Health)

Malcolm Byrne TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Martin Heydon Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

Michael Healy-Rae Minister of State (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

Michael Moynihan Minister of State (Department of Education)

Noel Grealish Minister of State (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

Paschal Donohoe Minister (Department of Finance)

Peter Burke Minister (Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment)

Sean Canney Minister of State (Department of Transport)

James Browne Minister (Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage)