Tipperary farmer slams delays to 2023 ACRES payments to farmers as 'outrageous'
Tipperary farmer Eamon Carroll, who is the Irish Creamery and Milk Suppliers Association Deputy President, has called on the Department of Agriculture to address the delays
There are currently more than 2000 farmers who are still awaiting the balance of their 2023 ACRES payment, according to the Irish Creamery and Milk Suppliers Association (ICMSA).
ICMSA Deputy President, Eamon Carroll, called on The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) to prioritise these payments and dedicate the time and resources necessary to addressing delays he said were 'outrageous' and which risked farmer confidence in future participation of agri-environmental schemes.
“We still have around seven per cent of farmer-participants waiting this length of time for their total payment for a scheme on which they might have spent monies up to 24 months ago. In fact, there are still those that have not received any payment in respect of 2023, and ICMSA is asking both DAFM and the farmers involved to engage with one another and solve the outstanding issues.
"It’s just slack and unacceptable: There are still over one-in-four of Tranche 1 farmers awaiting their 2024 payment and this rises to over three-in-ten for Tranche 2, and the offhand way that we learn that payments will ‘resume’ in in January is way too casual and shows no sign of the urgency that should be there at this stage”, said Mr. Carroll.
Stressing that those 2000-odd farmers due balancing payments since 2023 are perfectly entitled to feel aggrieved at this stage, Mr. Caroll said it the onus was on DAFM to overcome the resultant disengagement and disillusionment that their own delays had caused and re-commit to the ACRES scheme
“We have said it many times, but it bears repeating: There is the core of a good scheme here and it would be a pity if the slow and unconvincing administration were to dampen the enthusiasm of farmers to enter schemes into the future. The Departments needs to get on this immediately and show the level of commitment and engagement that the participating farmers had every right to expect. We’ll be raising this at the next Farmers Charter meeting”, said Mr. Carroll.