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Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has said that extensive farming plays a role in maintaining hill areas and the communities living in them.
Speaking at the Irish Nature and Hill Farmers Association (INHFA) AGM in Tuam on Thursday, the Minister committed to protecting farm incomes through schemes.
“In the unique landscapes of our uplands and high nature value areas, extensive farming systems help maintain rural communities, while providing biodiversity and ecosystem services backed by ongoing, meaningful supports,” he said.
“The future of these environments in areas where economic activity is often limited is closely connected to the farmers who manage them and the rural communities they sustain.
“I am determined to protect farmers’ incomes through CAP or our national schemes.”
Sheep and beef
Minister McConalogue singled out the budget 2024 National Sheep Welfare Scheme and National Beef Welfare Scheme as measures introduced to support drystock farmers.
The €15m sheep scheme has over 17,000 applications, while the €20m meal feeding and vaccination suckler scheme is expected to open in early August.
“I have doubled ewe payments since 2022 and they are now at their highest ever level,” the Minister told INHFA members of combined 2024 payment available through the Sheep Welfare Scheme and the five-year Sheep Improvement Scheme, he said.
“These schemes send a strong signal of my commitment to the sector and provide a valuable injection of support which will boost producer confidence in the future viability of sheep farming.”
On the National Beef Welfare Scheme, the Minister stated that he expects cleared applicants to see payments begin issuing in December.
“Once again this demonstrates my strong commitment to the beef sector and fulfils my commitment to deliver €200/suckler cow and calf.”
Minister McConalogue reiterated Government’s commitment to ensure that all measures taken to meet targets set out in the EU Nature Restoration Law will be voluntary for farmers.
“The Government is committed to ensuring that nature restoration provides additional income streams for landowners and brings benefits to rural economies,” INHFA members heard.
“Any restoration measures that landowners choose to participate in will be appropriately incentivised and resourced.”
ACRES payments
Minister McConalogue responded to comments from the floor on ongoing delays to the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).
He insisted that his actions to issue flat-rate interim payments in spring to ACRES participants who had not yet received advance payments was a decisive move.
“In addition to the payments made since February, a further €25.4m issued in balancing payments in June 2024,” the Minister commented.
“This has brought payments made to date to 44,780 ACRES participants to over €234m.”
2023 ACRES balancing payments are to continue to issue in fortnightly rounds as cases are cleared.
Farmers are to also be provided with the flexibility of having any surplus funding paid to them by the Department of Agriculture’s interim payments deducted from 2024’s ACRES payments instead of from Areas of Natural Constraint cheques, as had been initially expected.
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