Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 27 November 2025
404. Deputy John Connolly asked the Minister for Social Protection whether the ECO and ACRES schemes are considered environmental schemes for the purposes of means assessment in respect of farm assist, State pension (non-contributory) and supplementary welfare allowance payments; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [66879/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraFarm Assist is the main social welfare income support for farmers. It is a statutory means-tested income support specifically for farmers on low incomes. There are approximately 3,400 claims in payment at present. The Government has provided almost €47 million for the scheme in 2025.
Legislation provides for a disregard in the means test for Farm Assist for income from a range of agri-environmental schemes. Under this disregard, the first €5,000, increased from €2540 from January 2023, of such income is disregard in full, with 50% of the balance assessed as means. The disregard also applies to Jobseeker's Allowance and State Pension (Non-Contributory) but not to Supplementary Welfare Allowance.
The agri-environmental schemes concerned have an environmental focus and in the context of the Government's climate change agenda, the disregard for income received from them aims to incentivise farmers to participate in them, and results in a more beneficial means assessment for those customers who have income from these schemes.
A Review into the means test disregards for Farm Assist completed in 2021 recommended that the list of agri-environmental schemes that qualify for the disregard should be significantly increased. The list was expanded from June 2022 and again from April 2023, increasing from 4 schemes to 29 schemes. The ACRES scheme has been included on this list from April 2023.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has advised that the ECO scheme is not considered an agri-environmental scheme and is considered to be a payment under the Direct Payment System. Such payments do not attract the disregard that applies to income from agri-environmental schemes but are included as farm income and 70% of such income is assessed as means under the Farm Assist scheme, with 30% disregarded.
I am committed to working with my colleague, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, to keeping this disregard under review in the context of Ireland's CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027.
I trust this clarifies the position for the Deputy.
