Mattie McGrath (Tipperary South, Independent)

The Minister calls ACRES a flagship scheme. I wonder about that. The ongoing and completely unacceptable delays in the issuing of ACRES payments is a matter of deep concern to farmers across the country. It is just not fair. Farmers who entered this scheme did so in good faith, on the understanding that they would be paid in a timely manner. Yet, here we are, halfway into 2025, and thousands of farmers are still waiting. I must be the only person in the country meeting farmers who are unpaid in County Waterford, County Tipperary and other places. Farmers are even waiting for partial payments. Many have received nothing at all. This is not a technical glitch or a minor inconvenience; this is a serious cashflow crisis for farmers who have bills to pay and who have engaged contractors in good faith. They expect to get the money as they have been compliant.

Many of the delays are due to errors on the side of the Department. One example relates to a constituent who was due to receive his 2024 payment. He received a partial payment in November 2024, which was totally due to an error by the Department. He was told he would be provided with a corrective payment in 2025.

Now in July he has received a payment of just €300 when he was due €5,000. A dodgy car salesman would do better than this. The Minister said recently that due to staffing issues, the payments could not be paid. That would not be acceptable in any Department or for anybody else.

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