Pa Daly (Kerry, Sinn Fein)
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157. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will report on funding streams to support farmers in nature restoration; the supports currently available; the measures he is taking to introduce fund separate funding streams to CAP; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [25609/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Farmers are critical to conserving and restoring nature. My Department is supporting farmers in this work across many fronts.

The Deputy may be aware that there are approx. 54,000 participating in our flag-ship Agri-environment scheme, ACRES. These farmers are undertaking actions that support nature, biodiversity and the environment. Both ACRES General and ACRES CP actions focus on habitat and biodiversity improvement measures with over one million hectares scored for habitat condition. Payments of just over €490m have been made up until the end of last week to ACRES participants under the scheme.

Additionally, the ECO scheme element of our CAP supports rewards over 100,000 farmers in providing Space for Nature. In 2024, over €251 million was paid to farmers in respect of the space for nature they had on their holdings – for example hedgerows, stonewalls, drains, areas of scrub and biodiversity. My Department also supports 99,000 farmers with a value of €248m in support through Areas of Natural Constraint, this land tends to have a high value in terms of nature and biodiversity.

Projects such as the Wild Atlantic Nature Life, LIFE on Machair and Corncrake LIFE work with farmers and deliver for both nature and the farmer. My Department works in collaboration with NPWS on these, and also supports European Innovation projects such as FarmPeat, FarmCarbon and Breeding Waders as well as the Waters for Life project.

Ireland has already announced a €3.15bn Climate and Nature Fund to support implementation on the environment. My government colleague, Min O'Sullivan, as part of the development of Ireland's Nature Restoration plan, to be completed in 2026, as part of our delivery on the EU Nature Restoration Law has also set up a finance working group that will consider financial aspects in delivery of that plan and my Department officials are fully engaged with this process with farmers at its heart.

The development of the national restoration plan will support meaningful engagement with all stakeholders including our farming sector to ensure that incentives and supports reflect the need to balance economic and social sustainability alongside those of environmental sustainability.