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 - Scoring

Intended results To propose A review of the scoring / payment system should apply. The DAFM need to acknowledge that past agri-environmental scheme criteria may have impacted current scoring (e.g. minimum stocking rates), and whether relating to late scoring submissions; minimal invasive species; turbary activity and/or dumping, ACRES applicants should not be penalised for the actions / non-actions of third parties. Force majeure, proportionality, and fairness should apply. Similar to BISS, there should also be a period from which parcel scores/plans could be amended without penalty. • Farmers should be advised the date that their lands are being scored, and provided with the opportunity, should they so wish, to accompany the planner/consultant during the scoring exercise to enable information sharing and corrective action to be relayed in a timelier fashion than having to wait a significant period as occurred with ACRES. More broadly, an agreed timeline is required for the provision of parcel scoring to farmers post completion. • The probability of achieving a high score should at least be equal to the probability of achieving a lower score. No negative marking should apply, with a ‘0' the lowest score applied. Currently, within individual ACRES scorecards, most carry far higher cumulative negative scoring. This should be corrected and a re-weighting of scores & associated payments assigned where required. • In light of Year 1 scores achieved nationally, review and consider the appropriateness or otherwise of the €145/ ha rate utilised for ALL owned/rented/leased commonage parcels in ringfencing calculations. Where material discrepancies arise, and additional non-commonage lands were held but excluded, a retrospective payment, equivalent to the differential between the parcel rate derived and €300/ ha (i.e. the rate assigned for all owned forage CP parcels declared as Permanent Pasture, Low Input Permanent Pasture or Traditional Hay Meadow) should be made to impacted farmers for each additional non-commonage hectare excluded from the scheme, subject to €7,000 overall core payment. Any additional residual amounts should be allocated to Non-Productive Investment allocations as per existing arrangements. • Applicants with parcels scoring below payment levels (i.e. <4) should be automatically entitled to a participation payment and have such parcels rescored in the subsequent year (not all lands) should they so wish, and prioritized, so as to not impinge core payments received in immediate subsequent years. • All applicants, irrespective of parcel size or scoring achieved, should receive a mandatory fixed participation payment equivalent to at least €120/ha for the first 20ha. • A streamlined appeals mechanism to be put in place where repayment requests from the Department can be adjudicated on in a timely and efficient manner. A similar efficient commonage scoring appeals system is required. • Any recoupment of funds should be done only on agreement and span multiple years where necessary. No interest charge/penalty on such funds should apply.

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)

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

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)