The Irish Farmers' Association - IFA

Lobbying Organisation The Irish Farmers' Association - IFA

Date published 18 Jan, 2025

Relevant Matter Matters involving public funds

Public Policy Area Agriculture

Period 1 Sep, 2024 to 31 Dec, 2024

Specific Details Farm Schemes Payments

Intended results To propose that the Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine must avail of Commission-approved flexibilities and ensure maximum payments are delivered on time to all farmers, starting with the Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) payments. To highlight that the European Commission authorised EU Member States to pay higher advances of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) funds to help growing liquidity problems on-farm. Member States can now provide up to 70% of direct payments in advance as of 16th October 2024, compared with 50% currently. Similarly, advance payments for area and animal-based interventions under rural development can be increased by up to 85%, instead of the usual 75%. To highlight that cashflow is becoming more and more of a problem on many farms, across all sectors. The Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine must ensure there are no hold-ups with payments. To highlight that delayed/recouped Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) payments have compounded cashflow pressure on many farms, particularly hill farms and those in Special Area's of Conservation (SAC) areas. To urge the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to make some arrangement for the particular cohort of Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) applicants, fewer than three hundred in total, that have received no Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) payment at all. These farmers entered the scheme in good faith, so need to be paid in good time also.

Name of person primarily responsible for lobbying on this activity Francie Gorman IFA President, John Curran IFA Rural Development Chair

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 (2-5)

Informal communication (11-20)

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.

Aodhan O'Riordain MEP (European Parliament)

Barry Andrews MEP (European Parliament)

Barry Cowen MEP (European Parliament)

Billy Kelleher MEP (European Parliament)

Brian Leddin TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Ciaran Mullooly MEP (European Parliament)

Cynthia Ní Mhurchú MEP (European Parliament)

Denis O'Donovan Senator (Seanad)

Jackie Cahill TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Joe Flaherty TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Johnny Mythen TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Kathleen Funchion MEP (European Parliament)

Luke Ming Flanagan MEP (European Parliament)

Lynn Boylan MEP (European Parliament)

Maria Walsh MEP (European Parliament)

Martin Kenny TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Michael Collins TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Michael Fitzmaurice TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Michael McNamara MEP (European Parliament)

Michael Ring TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Nina Carberry MEP (European Parliament)

Paul Daly Senator (Seanad)

Paul Kehoe TD (Dáil Éireann, the Oireachtas)

Regina Doherty MEP (European Parliament)

Sean Kelly MEP (European Parliament)

Tim Lombard Senator (Seanad)

Victor Boyhan Senator (Seanad)

Amii McKeever Adviser to Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

Charlie McConalogue Minister (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)

Brendan Gleeson Secretary General (Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine)