Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I am sure Senator O'Sullivan will join with me in welcoming the Fermoy students here today and their teacher. I hope the students enjoy their day in the Seanad and the Dáil.

I thank Senator Conway for raising this important issue. I have been engaging with Senator Dooley, Oireachtas colleagues and Deputies Crowe and Carey, along with Senator Conway, who have been raising this important issue. We have been discussing, addressing and considering the issues over the last few weeks. I had committed to coming back about a potential meeting with some of the farmers in the Burren project this week. I will be engaging my colleagues this week regarding meeting some of the farmers concerned to discuss the issues which they have raised today.The Burren programme, which will conclude at the end of this year, has been a successful agri-environment climate measure that encompasses results-based habitat management and complementary non-productive capital investment works. The new national agri-environment scheme under the CAP strategic plan 2023–2027, the agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, builds on the learnings and experience of the Burren programme and the Department's successful European innovation partnerships, EIPs. ACRES is a €1.5 billion scheme with two approaches. The first is the co-operation project, CP, which applies in eight mapped zones that are areas of high nature value; hold significant carbon stores; and are home to some of the most pristine waters in the country. The second, ACRES general, is for all other farmers who do not fall within co-operation project zones.

One of the eight CP zones is the Burren, which is expected to see some 1,300 farmers approved to join the scheme, more than four times the number participating in the Burren programme.

It was always the intention to scale up the positive aspects and actions from the EIPs or locally-led schemes, such as the Burren programme, and to mainstream them into large-scale national agri-environment schemes. This will provide a much larger environmental benefit and enable a greater number of farmers to contribute to environmental public good such as biodiversity and water quality. I am pleased to see the outgoing Burren programme team successfully tender and win the right to be the new co-operation project lead under the ACRES scheme, ensuring the transition I mentioned.

Further building on the work of the Burren programme, the ACRES co-operation programme has been designed to deliver significant long-term environmental improvement through the participation of a substantial number of farmers on the most appropriate land. As colleagues will be aware, there are currently some 300 farmers participating in the Burren programme. It is proposed that an additional 1,000 farmers in the Burren zone would participate in ACRES CP, an increase of more than 300%. This increase will benefit a huge number of farm families and the environment in the area, as well as being an economic catalyst and support for the area. With more farm families benefiting, there will be greater opportunities all round. Increasing farmer participation numbers beyond the limited numbers at present in the Burren programme requires a balance to be struck to ensure that as attractive a payment rate as possible is offered while ensuring that as many farmers as possible can join, with the resulting increase in the amount of land providing environmental benefit. As colleagues can see, this will represent a very significant upscaling of participation in the Burren region and will provide a larger cohort of farmers with access to the specialist skills of the CP team. Not only will there be a major increase in the number of farmers participating, there will be a substantial increase in environmental monitoring and assessment in that region.

Under the current Burren programme, a total area of just over 11,000 ha of species-rich grazed habitat is scored under the result-based assessment. By comparison, under ACRES CP, it is estimated that almost 40,000 ha will be scored in the Burren zone. I recognise there are concerns in the Burren area, with several current participants farming extensive areas of high-quality lands. We are working closely with the Burren CP team to develop a bonus structure to incentivise those farmers.