The Irish Natura & Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) have called on Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon to intervene on behalf of the 15,000 farmers still awaiting payments under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).
Speaking on this INHFA President Vincent Roddy stressed the need to get payments out to these farmers stating that “no other sector of society would accept this”, before adding that “the Minister and his Department have a duty of care to these farmers that they need to recognise and act on.”
In assessing those that have not been paid the INHFA President pointed to the 10,216 farmers who were paid for 2023 but are now awaiting their first payment for 2024. For these farmers it should, he stated “be very manageable for Department staff to get an immediate payment of 85% out to these farmers if they base it on their 2023 payment.”
“For all other farmers , if the I.T issues can’t be resolved by the end of this month, the Minister will need to issue an interim payment as was done last year” added the farm leader. There may, he continued “be resistance inside the Department to this, but it is time we recognise that Department staff are not the ones still waiting for money.”
Farmers have, Roddy maintained “been more than patient and when we look at how the Department have chased down farmers for monies they may owe, then the double standard is quite shocking.”
In conclusion the INHFA President also took issue with the EU Commission asking why “they haven’t shown the same urgency in delivering justice for Irish farmers as they did in implementing additional regulation of farmers through GAEC 2 conditionality.”
