RIO condemns Acres Scheme as 'white collar crime' against Mayo farmers

Rural Ireland Organisation calls for the scrapping of Acres Scheme, citing 'Land Grab' concerns

The Rural Ireland Organisation (RIO) has issued a scathing critique of the government's Environmental Scheme Acres, calling it the “greatest public display of white collar crime in the history of Irish agriculture.”

Gerry Loftus, founder of RIO, expressed strong discontent with the scheme, claiming it shows "the greatest disrespect" to rural communities, particularly small and medium-sized farmers, who he describes as being "climate and environmentally friendly" stewards of the land.

In an outspoken statement, Loftus accused the scheme of being a deliberate attempt to push farmers to sell their land or convert it to forestry. RIO, he said, has been the only organization in the country to fully reject the scheme, holding several public meetings to oppose its implementation.

Loftus also pointed fingers at farming organisations, questioning why they endorsed what he described as an "unworkable scheme." He went on to criticise the farm advisory service in Ireland, calling it "unfit for purpose."

According to Loftus, many farmers received poor or misleading advice, with planners providing incorrect estimates of potential financial returns under the scheme. He described this situation as "shameful" and called for a code of conduct for planners, suggesting that conversations between farmers and planners should be recorded before agreements are made.

Loftus further demanded that the Acres scheme be scrapped immediately and that the Glás program, which was widely popular among farmers, be reintroduced for the next three years. Without such action, he warned, thousands of farmers would be left without environmental payments for the next three years—an outcome he described as "unacceptable."

Fianna Fáil and Fine Gael politicians also came under fire from the RIO leader, who accused them of manipulating farmers by initially announcing the scheme as a revival of the former Rural Environment Protection Scheme (REPS), which had been highly successful and popular among farmers.

According to Loftus, this tactic convinced many farmers to invest their own money in trees, hedging, and fencing for a five-year payment scheme. He now questions who will ultimately own the carbon emissions stored by these environmental actions, warning that there is currently no provision ensuring that farmers retain ownership of the carbon their land absorbs.

Loftus proposed a new slogan—“A Lifetime Action Must be a Lifetime Payment”, arguing that farmers should not be expected to undertake long-term climate actions for just five years of compensation.

He also claimed that the scheme appears to be part of a broader agenda to seize land for carbon sequestration and bring it under state control, stating, “Land is the new gold.”

Highlighting concerns about the lack of focus on agriculture in the Acres scheme, Loftus said, "In the Acres scheme there is no mention of agriculture. It is totally based on ecology, on plants and other forms of vegetation that were on farms before the introduction of fertiliser or slurry." He suggested that farmers had not questioned the scheme due to a lack of explanations or detailed information from the government.

The RIO leader also raised concerns about the involvement of private companies in the scheme, which he claimed will receive approximately €50 million out of the €1.5 billion allocated to the project.

He called for transparency regarding the qualifications of these private contractors and questioned who had given them the authority to collect and store information about farmers' private property.

In his closing remarks, Loftus highlighted the financial toll the scheme is taking on farmers, referencing recent figures published in The Farmers Journal that suggest up to €15 million in overpayments will have to be returned by approximately 7,000 farmers.

He also disputed official figures on the number of farmers withdrawing from the scheme, claiming the real number is much higher.

With the Acres scheme continuing to spark controversy, RIO is now calling on small farmers to unite and build a campaign against what Loftus described as "theft" in the lead-up to the next general election.