Matt Carthy (Cavan-Monaghan, Sinn Fein)
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1193. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of ACRES recipients in each county; the number within each county who received their payments in November and December 2023; the number in each county whose payments were delayed until 2024, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56519/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) payments commenced on December 15th, with payment issuing in the initial payment run to two-thirds of all ACRES General participants. This first ACRES pay run included all ACRES General participants that have cleared payment validations. Co-operation advance payments will begin to issue in February 2024.

Pay runs will continue in the coming weeks for the remaining ACRES General participants. Cases are still being run through validation programs on an ongoing basis and will be paid as they pass the validation process.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy is aware, and in line with the commitment in the Programme for Government, a flagship environmental scheme, namely the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), was launched in 2022 There has been exceptional demand for entry into the Scheme, which demonstrates the interest of farmers to take on actions to address climate, biodiversity and environmental issues.

While it was initially planned to take in applicants in two Tranches, with 30,000 in Tranche 1, as a Government the decision was made to accept all valid applications submitted, and there are now just under 46,000 farmers actively involved in the Scheme. The decision to accept all 46,000 applicants into Tranche 1 has put significant pressure on the ability to pay all participants in 2023.

My officials have been working to expedite payments, but with the unprecedented numbers, it was not possible to get all participants paid by the end of 2023. Due to the additional complexity associated with the Co-operation Project (CP) stream, payments will begin to issue in February 2024 for cases that pass all pre-payment validation checks.

Regarding the issuing of an interim payment to farmers, such a payment is not a realistic proposition, as it would not meet the standards required to access EU funding in accordance with the new performance reporting obligations under Ireland's 2023-2027 CAP Strategic Plan.

I want to reassure the Deputy that everything is being done to pay, as soon as possible in 2024, all ACRES participants who clear pre-payment checks.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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1195. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when applications for a scheme (details supplied) will open; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56527/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS 3) provides grants to farmers to build and/or improve a specified range of farm buildings and equipment on their holdings. There is an indicative budget of €370 million available for the period 2023-2027, and all investments must be linked to Climate, Environment or Animal Welfare.

Overall, the scheme has proved very popular. Tranche 1 of TAMS 3 closed on 30 June 2023, with 8,241 applications received across ten separate investment measures (almost four times the average number received per tranche under TAMS 2). Applications received across all of the measures in Tranche 1 are currently being processed. Once the initial processing is completed, all applications are subject to a ranking and selection process, which is a regulatory requirement for all TAMS 3 applications.

A total of 551 applications were received under Tranche 1 of the Lower Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) Scheme. Approvals have issued to 268 applicants to date, and approvals are continuing to issue to the remaining eligible Tranche 1 applicants on a daily basis.

I recently announced that, as with Tranche 1, all eligible applications received in Tranche 2 will be approved. Also, similar to Tranche 1, those who have applied for mobile investments may proceed with that investment at their own risk pending formal approval in due course. Processing of Tranche 2 applications will commence once the tranche closes on 19 January 2024.

Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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1196. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if the case of a person (details supplied) will be examined; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [56528/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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As the Deputy will be aware, the Liming Programme was introduced by my Department in 2023 to incentivise the use of lime, a natural soil conditioner which corrects soil acidity, makes nutrients more available for plant uptake, and improves overall soil health.

In late October 2023 some quarries expressed concerns that they would not be able to process payments and provide invoices for all farmers seeking to forward buy ground limestone before the Liming Programme's original claim deadline of the 31^stof October. In response, I granted a one-week extension to the deadline for the submission of claims. Claims for payment were accepted up until midnight on the 07 November 2023.

The Programme was supported as a once-off measure in 2023 that is funded by the National Exchequer in response to the war in Ukraine. There is no funding provision available for 2024. Therefore claims for payment including Invoices/Receipts with proof of payment had to be submitted by the 07 November. The majority of payments under the Programme issued in December with only some final payments remaining to issue at this stage.

The claims I.T. system closed in November and to be fair to all farmers it is not possible to process late claims.