Latest news with #NPIs
Agriland
3 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
235 Farmers Yet to Receive Final Acres Payments for 2023 Dafm
A total of almost €515 million has now been paid to farmers in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) confirmed. Balancing payments amounting to €11,342 were made on August 1 to 11 farmers for participation in the agri-environmental scheme in 2023. This means the total paid in respect of participation in ACRES in 2023 is €248.8 million to 44,405 farmers, or over 99% of all ACRES tranche 1 participants. DAFM said that 235 farmers have yet to receive their final payments for 2023. Of these participants, 38 have already received an interim payment of either €4,000 or €5,000, respectively. The department added that in many instances, this will cover the entire amount of the payment due. Advance payments, in respect of ACRES participation in 2024, were made on August 1 to 118 participants, with those payments amounting to €504,572. This payment run brought total 2024 advance payments to almost €227 million, paid to 52,810 farmers, or almost 98% of all ACRES participants. Advance payments for 2024 have still to be made to 1,104 ACRES participants across tranches 1 and 2. Of these 1,104 farmers, 235 are also awaiting their balancing payment in respect of 2023, as that must be paid before the 2024 advance payment may be made to them. Balancing payments for participation in the scheme in 2024 commenced on May 15. The most recent payment run of August 1 paid €178,195 to a further 317 farmers. This brought the total paid in balancing payments in respect of 2024 to approximately €39 million, to 51,702 participants. DAFM said that this means that almost 96% of all participants are up to date with payments. ACRES payments will continue to be made weekly to the remaining participants once their contracts are cleared for payment. Meanwhile, DAFM said that 125,000 scorecards were issued at the beginning of June of which 65,546 have been submitted to date. ACRES scorecards must be submitted by August 31 to allow advance payments to be made in November. The claims system for Non-Productive Investments (NPIs) is also now open for applications. To date, 57 claims have been submitted for 2023 while 12 have been submitted for 2024. The department added that the application window for Landscape Actions remains open.
Agriland
4 days ago
- General
- Agriland
DAFM reminds farmers that ACRES deadline is approaching
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has advised farmers who are participating in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) that the assessment and scoring of land / parcels is underway, and the deadline for completion is August 31. According to DAFM, non commonage land / parcels in ACRES which attract a results-based payment are currently being assessed and scored by ACRES advisors. Scorecards were issued to ACRES advisors from June 3 2025, in respect of the land / parcels to be scored this year. There are 10 scorecards used for the assessment of the land / parcels, on which results-based payments are made. Seven of the scorecards are habitat-focused, while three are species-specific, such as chough, breeding wader and corncrake. Advisors use one or more scorecards, relevant to the land being scored. As this is the mid-point of the scoring period, the department is reminding advisors that completed scorecards should be returned within 14 days of initiating the first scorecard and before the last date for submission of scorecards, which is August 31. It is essential that completed scorecards are submitted by the deadline to facilitate the timely issue of advance payments to participants for 2025 later this year. Commonage land in the ACRES co-operation zones is also currently being assessed and scored, in the respective zones. Meanwhile commonage in ACRES outside those co-operation zones is being assessed and scored by contractors engaged by DAFM. According to DAFM the claims system for the submission of claims by an ACRES participant, or their advisor, in respect of the Non-Productive Investments (NPIs) is now open. Applications for payment should be submitted as soon as possible. Finally, the Landscape Actions element of ACRES is open for applications for actions that will support farmers in the co-operation approach of the scheme to target specific environmental priorities. These are large-scale environmental actions focusing on issues such as threatened species, water quality protection, invasive species management and encroaching scrub management in species-rich grassland. The ACRES co-operation project (CP) teams will be engaging with farmers in their areas, and will be preparing applications on their behalf in the form of a Landscape Action Annual Works Plan.
Agriland
4 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
ACRES NPI application window for 2025 now open
The application window for Non-Productive Investments (NPIs) under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) is now open for applications. The opening of the application widow was confirmed by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon. The deadline for submission of applications is Friday, October 17. The NPIs are available to ACRES participants who are in the Co-operation Project (CP) ACRES stream. The actions are available to support ACRES CP participants to "enhance the sustainable management of their farms", the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine said. Making the announcement, Minister Heydon said: "There are a wide range of complementary environmental actions which an ACRES [CP] farmer may avail of under this element of ACRES. "With the NPI application window opening today for 2025, I encourage all ACRES Co-operation participants to engage with their ACRES advisor to discuss the way in which their land could be enhanced through the implementation of an NPI." The minister urged farmers in the CP element of the scheme to "avail of this opportunity to increase the environmental standard of their land and thereby attract a higher rate of payment through the resultant increase in the scoring of that land". The minister explained that the same process is in place for this NPI application window that was in place for the previous two application windows in 2023 and 2024. Applications, in the form of NPI Annual Work Plans, need to be prepared and submitted by ACRES advisors on behalf of ACRES CP participants. The NPI application window is opening earlier this year which may give CP farmers an opportunity to discuss possible NPIs with their ACRES advisor when the advisor is out on their farm assessing and scoring their lands, the minister said. "NPI applications were submitted on behalf of 4,800 ACRES farmers in 2024, which was an increase on the number received in 2023." "Some of those NPIs have now been implemented on foot of the approvals issued in respect of 2023 and 2024 applications, and the NPI claims system is now open for the submission of claims," Minister Heydon said. He added: "We will see the value of those NPIs in real terms from now and it is worthwhile for ACRES Co-operation farmers to explore with their ACRES advisor the options available to them in the form of NPIs."
Agriland
28-05-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Minister: ‘September at the latest' for ACRES NPI payment system
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has said that it will be 'September at the latest' before the payments system for non-productive investments (NPIs) is ready under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES). Under ACRES, farmers in the Co-operation Project (CP) section of the scheme can undertake NPIs to enhance their payments. NPIs are small-scale environmental actions available to farmers in the ACRES CP which support nature-friendly management of farms. NPIs are applied for on behalf of farmers by their ACRES advisor as part of a NPI – Annual Works Plan (AWP). According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, completing approved NPIs allows a farmer to add to their ACRES payment by up to a maximum of €17,500 over the five-year period of their contract. There has been two application windows for farmers to apply for NPIs; one in 2023 and one last year in 2024. However, the payments system to support the submission of claims and the processing of payments in respect of approved NPI applications is not yet in place. The department had already said that the system would be in place in 2025. Minister Heydon, speaking at the first meeting of the new Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, which took place today (Wednesday, May 28), indicated a target of September for that system to be in place. He told Fine Gael Clare TD Joe Cooney: 'The great focus has been getting people their basic [ACRES] payment first and foremost, getting their problems resolved on that. 'On the NPI payments then, the officials are working through on his, but we are making progress on that side, and hope to have them resolved as soon as possible over the summer, or September at the latest, in terms of getting them resolved, and getting payments through on them,' Minister Heydon added. ACRES was one of the main topics that came up at today's committee meeting, the other top issues for TDs and senators being TB and the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Other topics that featured were the nitrates derogation, GAEC (Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition) 2; and the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement. This was the minister's first appearance at the Oireachtas agriculture committee in his role as the senior department minister. Minister Heydon's previous appearances at the committee, in its previous iteration before the general election last year, were in his then role as minister for state with responsibility for new market development, farm safety, and research and development. This was the first meeting of the current committee, post-general election, where it carried out its role of scrutinising the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the ministers responsible for it. As the first meeting, it had somewhat of an introductory tone, serving as a way for the committee to get off the ground for the new Dáil term and begin its formal engagement with the minister. One member of the committee, senator Victor Boyhan, said: '[Minister Heydon] indicated that he wanted a fresh start, a new relationship with agriculture, with stakeholders, and with us as committee members, so I think that's encouraging.'
Yahoo
06-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Here's What 3M's Big News Means to Investors
At a glance, it's understandable that 3M's (NYSE: MMM) recent investor day didn't produce a significant move in the stock price. The industrial conglomerate's three-year targets were solid enough but not sufficiently inspiring to encourage investors to significantly upgrade medium-term expectations. However, based on the presentations, there's a strong case for 3M being able to deliver good returns in the coming years, with more to come over the long term. That's likely to suit many investors, and it's why the stock remains attractive to buy. Here's the lowdown. The financial targets laid out by management at the event are shown in the table below. Prospects for earnings growth are clearly coming not from organic sales but from expectations for higher margins, with management aiming to hit a 25% operating margin by 2027. Here's some quick math to make sense of what this table means for potential returns. If we pencil in the midpoint of 2025 guidance ($7.75) and assume 8% growth in 2026 and 2027 -- that's the midpoint of the 7% to 9% range usually defined as "high single digits" -- we get earnings per share of $9.04 in 2027. If we assume the stock trades at 20 times earnings, around the historical norm, it would reach $181 in 2027, resulting in a 6.4% annual return based on recent prices. Including a 2% dividend yield would mean an 8.4% yearly return. That outcome would provide a solid enough return but not a particularly exciting one. That said, there is a pathway to a better return for investors. 3M Guidance 2024 2025 Est. 2026/2027 Est. Organic sales growth 1.2% 2%-3% "outperform macro" Operating margin 21.4% 130 bp* to 190 bp expansion ~100bps annually Earnings per share $7.30 $7.60-$7.90 High-single-digit annual growth Free cash flow $4.9 billion ~100% conversion from net income >100% conversion from net income Data source: 3M presentations, *bp is basis points, where 100bp=1% In a nutshell, the upside opportunity comes from the potential for 3M to realize CEO Bill Brown's aim of revitalizing its new product introductions (NPIs). Doing so will likely lead to a pick-up in sales growth and margin expansion over the long term. As such, by 2027, investors in 3M could be pricing in better earnings growth in the future. NPIs tend to be differentiated products that command pricing power, and 3M can ramp up volume production as they gain in popularity, resulting in sales growth and margin expansion. Given the gestation period necessary to fundamentally change a research and development function, develop NPIs, and establish them in the market, it won't be an overnight process. Still, there's plenty of room for improvement at 3M, and investors have cause for optimism. For example, management disclosed that its five-year NPI sales was $7 billion in 2018, but that figure slumped to just $2.4 billion in 2024 due to a dearth of NPI. The slump in NPIs meant 3M's New Product Vitality Index (NPVI) (representing the share of total company sales from NPI over the last five years) slumped to just 10% in 2024 (compared to figures of 33% a decade ago). Management plans to get its NPVI to about 20% in 2027 through focused investment and implementing process improvements that should reduce its time to market for NPI. It was refreshing to hear chief technology officer John Banovetz openly outline why 3M's NPI had fallen behind in recent years. The good news is that all three reasons are likely to prove temporary. 3M had cut back on local product development 3M was focused on reengineering products in light of the removal of PFAS compounds in its products and the need to adjust to the supply chain crisis caused by the lockdowns Management had overinvested time and money in the healthcare business, now spun off as Solventum These are entirely plausible arguments and issues likely to have caused disruptions, and given management's commitment to reinvigorating research and development, working through the PFAS-induced changes, and the absence of the healthcare business, 3M has an opportunity to improve NPIs. If 3M can generate the operational improvements necessary to improve long-term margin and NPIs, the market could start pricing in improved long-term growth prospects. The back-of-the-envelope figure of a yearly total return of 8.4% calculated above has upside potential. That might suit many investors looking for a relatively safe way to invest in the industrial sector. Ever feel like you missed the boat in buying the most successful stocks? Then you'll want to hear this. On rare occasions, our expert team of analysts issues a 'Double Down' stock recommendation for companies that they think are about to pop. If you're worried you've already missed your chance to invest, now is the best time to buy before it's too late. And the numbers speak for themselves: Nvidia: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2009, you'd have $295,759!* Apple: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2008, you'd have $45,128!* Netflix: if you invested $1,000 when we doubled down in 2004, you'd have $525,108!* Right now, we're issuing 'Double Down' alerts for three incredible companies, and there may not be another chance like this anytime soon.*Stock Advisor returns as of March 3, 2025 Lee Samaha has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends 3M. The Motley Fool recommends Solventum. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Here's What 3M's Big News Means to Investors was originally published by The Motley Fool Sign in to access your portfolio
