Verona Murphy (Wexford, Independent) | Oireachtas source

I have had lots of engagement with farmers in a variety of sectors over the four years that I have been a Deputy and I know there is a great willingness within the sectors to contribute. Farmers are very climate conscious, as is evidenced by the number of applicants for ACRES. My question is whether the Minister believes there is sufficient funding under ACRES to accommodate all of the farmers who are interested. It does not seem to me that €1.5 billion will be sufficient to accommodate 50,000 farmers.

From a climate change perspective, the reality of regulations across the sectors is that we are piling the costs onto dairy farmers at the expense of tillage farmers. We are driving up the cost of land for tillage farmers in order to accommodate dairy farmers vis-à-visthe nitrates directive. It is for good reasons that the largest amount of money ever has been allocated and the Minister knows that. Again, my question is whether we have enough money for the applicants of 2023.

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