Thomas Lyons 
The eligibility criteria for the Traditional Farm Buildings Scheme (TFBS) has come under fire from the Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association (ICMSA). The scheme requires participants to also be part of one of several other programmes, including the Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS), and the Hen Harrier, Pearl Mussel, and Burren projects.
The ICMSA has criticised these conditions, arguing that reserving places in the TFBS for farmers in the above schemes is disappointing. Dennis Drennan, the association’s deputy president, has stated that the linkage between the TFBS and the other schemes “has no basis in logic, or commitment to built heritage”.
Drennan believes that a farmer’s right to apply for the TFBS should be dependent on their participation in schemes “aimed at completely different elements and to a completely different end”. He has called for the scheme to be opened up to all farmers, rather than using it as another “slush fund” to corral farmers into approved directions and sectors.
The ICMSA deputy president has criticised the exclusion of some farmers, stating that it is “actually working against the broader environmental and heritage policy that the department so vociferously claims to support”. Drennan argues that the government seems determined to knock back farmers’ desire to reinforce and support their heritage, both natural and built.
The ICMSA has called on the government to reconsider the eligibility conditions for the TFBS. The association has argued that shutting out any group of farmers from even applying to the scheme does not help in the preservation and restoration of Ireland’s unique farming-related built heritage.
The TFBS was launched by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine in 2009. The scheme aims to support the conservation of traditional farm buildings, including barns, cow houses, and stables. The scheme provides grant aid for the conservation and repair of such buildings, as well as for the conversion of traditional farm buildings for new uses.
The scheme has been successful in supporting the conservation of traditional farm buildings in Ireland. However, the eligibility criteria have been criticised for being too restrictive. The ICMSA argues that the conditions should be changed to allow all farmers to apply for the scheme.
In response to the criticism, a spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has stated that the eligibility criteria for the TFBS are designed to ensure that the scheme is targeted at those farmers who are actively engaged in environmental and heritage schemes. The spokesperson has argued that the linkage between the TFBS and other schemes is necessary to ensure that the scheme is aligned with the government’s broader environmental and heritage policy.
The spokesperson has also highlighted the success of the scheme in supporting the conservation of traditional farm buildings in Ireland. The department has stated that it will continue to review the eligibility criteria for the scheme to ensure that it is effective in supporting the conservation of Ireland’s unique farming-related built heritage.
Overall, the eligibility criteria for the Traditional Farm Buildings Scheme have been criticised for being too restrictive. The Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers’ Association has argued that the scheme should be opened up to all farmers, rather than being restricted to those participating in other environmental and heritage schemes. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has defended the eligibility criteria, stating that they are necessary to ensure that the scheme is aligned with the government’s broader environmental and heritage policy.
