IFA rural development chair, Michael Biggins said: “Getting ACRES tranche 2 re-opened for applications as soon as possible was a key priority for IFA, and something we have continually pushed for. It’s vital that Government devotes adequate resources so anybody looking to get into tranche 2 is accommodated. We need to learn from the lessons of the past. There is considerable demand among farmers to get into tranche 2.”
He added that farmers are fully committed to improving the environmental and economic sustainability of their farming enterprises: 97 per cent of Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) applicants have committed to eco-schemes, and the National Liming Programme and tranche 1 of ACRES were hugely oversubscribed.
“Government needs to tap into this momentum, remove the red-tape and bureaucracy, and devote necessary funding to deliver for the farm, the economy, and the environment,” he said.