Relevant Matter
Matters involving public funds
Public Policy Area
Agriculture
Period
1 May, 2024 to 31 Aug, 2024
Specific Details
Balancing Payment - Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES)
Intended results
To request an update on balancing payments in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).
To highlight what the process is to recoup overpayments where farmers received a higher interim payment than what they should have received. This is key to avoid amplifying cashflow pressures.
To seek and update on scoring - when will farmers know how they scored, what the average score was and how many applied to have lands rescored in 2024?
To question how many farmers received up to €10,500 that they were promised each year of the scheme. How many received payment in year 1 of the scheme and how many are likely to received it this year.
- To question what the Department is considering doing by way of corrective action for farmers who applied in good faith, have incurred costs, but because the Department doesn't have the infrastructure in place cannot get the €10,500 promised.
To seek clarification on the delay to the end of the year of the Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine's decisions to Non Productive Investments (NPI), regarding applications made before the end of December 2023.
To highlight that this delay will result in farmers not being able to execute actions and get paid accordingly.
To recommend that the Minister automatically approves all Non-Productive Investments (NPIs) and pay out on verified expenses. this would allow the farmer to do the work now during the long summer months and receive payment before the year end. If the approvals only come out at the year end, it will be 2025 before works are done and farmers paid for environmental actions.
To call for the Minister to start the 5 year Non-Productive Investment (NPI)/Landscape Application (LA) clock from the year of first Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM_ approvals, or pay farmer the full €105K for Year 1, Year 2 and each year until the Department have all necessary infrastructure in place to efficiently run the scheme.
To require clarification on the statement made by the Department that "21% of 31k Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) payments made to date had received excess interim payments, and any impacted farmer would have the opportunity to repay (through various forms) any overpayment from when formal letters would issue, and that any undischarged debt would be taken from the next scheme payment",
- The Minister should confirm that no interest will accrue on any overpayments, where farmers cannot clear the outstanding debt within one month from the date of the letter.
- to require the Minister to be conscious of the fact that some farmers may find that their scoring was lower than expected, and in a high cost year, find that they need to recoup more than what might have been intended or be able to reach on. This was all outside the influence and contrl of the farmer and they should not be disadvantaged now as a result.
To highlight that it is critical that the flexibility announced by the Minister provides farmers with the maximum timeframes necessary, for these monies to be recouped, without penalty, and agreed on an individual basis.
Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity
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.
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.
Claire Kerrane
TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)
Paul Savage
Assistant Secretary (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)