The Irish Farmers' Association - IFA

Lobbying Organisation The Irish Farmers' Association - IFA

Date published 17 May, 2026

Relevant Matter Matters involving public funds

Public Policy Area Agriculture

Period 1 Jan. 2026 to 30 Apr. 2026

Specific Details Eco-Scheme

Intended results To call on the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to quickly reverse the proposed changes to Eco-scheme calculations. To highlight how farmers have invested and bought in hugely to the voluntary Eco-schemes and into the Space for Nature option, in particular where parts of the farm are preserved and allocated specifically for biodiversity & habitat benefits. To emphasise that farmers are getting letters from the Department of Agriculture, food, and the Marine to say that features which were eligible previously, such as hedgerows, trees and stonewalls adjacent to farmyards, are no longer eligible for space for nature calculations. That, if implemented, it will dilute the efforts of farmers because of technical adjustments and may mean farmers will either have to chose additional Eco-schemes to preserve payments, or risk penalties. To stress that The Farmers' Charter of Rights provides that the Department will fully consult with the farming organisations on all scheme details and discuss any changes to terms and conditions in a timely manner. There has been no consultation or engagement by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine on this, even at the most recent Charter meeting in mid-December To stress that this re-calculation needs to be scrapped, and all ‘Space for Nature' features included and accounted for in Eco-scheme payments.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity 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

Lobbying activity

The following activities occurred for this specific Subject Matter Area.

Email (1)

Informal communication (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.

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

Aindrias Moynihan TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

William Aird TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Peter 'Chap' Cleere TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Joe Cooney TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Michael Fitzmaurice TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Danny Healy-Rae TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Martin Kenny TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Paul Lawless TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Natasha Newsome Drennan TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Victor Boyhan Senator (Seanad)

Paraic Brady Senator (Seanad)

Joanne Collins Senator (Seanad)

Paul Daly Senator (Seanad)

Eileen Lynch Senator (Seanad)

Aodhán Ó Ríordáin MEP (European Parliament)

Barry Andrews MEP (European Parliament)

Barry Cowen MEP (European Parliament)

Billy Kelleher MEP (European Parliament)

Ciaran Mullooly MEP (European Parliament)

Cynthia Ní Mhurchú MEP (European Parliament)

Kathleen Funchion MEP (European Parliament)

Luke Ming Flanagan MEP (European Parliament)

Lynn Boylan MEP (European Parliament)

Maria Walsh MEP (European Parliament)

Michael McNamara MEP (European Parliament)

Nina Carberry MEP (European Parliament)

Regina Doherty MEP (European Parliament)

Sean Kelly MEP (European Parliament)