Extension on soil sampling right move, but more ACRES flexibility needed - IFA

IFA Rural Development chair John Curran has said the extension provided by the Department for uploading soil sample results/exemption forms to ACRES Tranche 1 participants to December 31st was a positive and practical move.

“With all the rain in recent months, it was near impossible to get out and take suitable soil samples for analysis, so the original May deadline would have been very difficult for farmers, planners and labs to achieve,” he said.

“The same forward thinking and flexibilities should apply now to other hard deadline measures such as establishing wild bird cover or fencing grass margins/riparian zones within ACRES.

“Because of persistent adverse weather conditions and/or heavy ground conditions, farmers haven’t been able to do the work, and will be under pressure to meet the deadlines, particularly now with calving and lambing in full swing
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“Providing an extension now would ease a lot of pressure and headache on farmers, and also potentially avoid unnecessary land/biodiversity damage where farmers feel forced to get out and fence or plant or whatever, just to comply with ACRES.

“An improvement in environmental conditions is what ACRES was set up to achieve, so I’d be calling on the Minister and his officials to come out and provide flexibility to other measures too, sooner rather than later,” he said.