Brendan Griffin (Kerry, Fine Gael)
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988. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a 2023 organics payment will issue to a farmer in County Kerry (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14565/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Advance payments to organic farmers commenced on the 7^th of December 2023.

To date, approximately 96% of Organic Farming Scheme participants have received advance payments. DAFM is working to finalise payments for the remaining 4% of participants as quickly as possible.

It is anticipated that payment for this case will issue in the next two weeks.

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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It is not proposed that the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) will open for applications for a third intake into the Scheme.

A total of €1.5 billion has been allocated, as part of Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023-2027, for the Scheme over its duration, with this amount originally intended to facilitate the participation of 50,000 farmers.

There are currently just over 45,000 active participants in the Scheme following the acceptance of all valid applications submitted for Tranche 1, and taking account of withdrawals from the Scheme over the course of 2023.

More than 9,000 further applications for Tranche 2 of the Scheme are currently being processed by my Department.

In view of the level of interest by farmers to participate in ACRES, I engaged with the Department of Public Expenditure, National Development Plan Delivery and Reform to explore options to facilitate the participation of all those who had applied for Tranche 2. I was therefore pleased to announce last month that all valid applications for Tranche 2 will be accepted into the Scheme.

As the overall participation in the Scheme will then be in excess of the 50,000 as originally planned, a third intake, under a Tranche 3, is not proposed.