Thomas Pringle (Donegal, Independent)
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1629.To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he is aware of an issue in relation to an overpayment to farmers on ACRES and the consequences as a result of same (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [31323/24]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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Payments totalling just over €234 million have issued to date to participants in ACRES. These payments comprised of advance payments, interim payments and, more recently, balancing payments.

I note that your question relates to overpayments that have occurred as a result of the interim payments. As you may recall, I had arranged in February 2024 for these nationally-funded interim payments to be made to all those Tranche 1 participants who had not yet received their advance ACRES payment in respect of 2023. I made this decision to address concerns that delays in ACRES advance payments were causing cash flow difficulties on farms.

My Department wrote to all recipients of the interim payment at the end of February 2024 to advise that their final ACRES Year 1 payments would be based on the ACRES actions approved in their contract and, where results-based actions are included, the scores assigned to the relevant land, and that an overpayment would arise if the final amount calculated came to less than the amount of their interim payment. The letter also advised that, where an overpayment was identified, the Department would notify the participant concerned of the amounts and ways in which it may be repaid.

There are a range of ways available to the farmer to make the repayment, namely:• By Electronic Funds Transfer,• By Debit/Credit Card payments made over the phone to my Department,• By Debit/Credit Card payments using my Department’s online Financial Self Services facility,• By Cheque, Bank Draft or Postal Order or• Recoupment from the next payments to issue to the participant from my Department.

I am conscious that, for most ACRES participants, the next payment to issue to them from my Department will be under the ANC Scheme in September this year. If the options above do not suit the participant, there is an additional option whereby they may contact the Department to have the overpayment deducted from their next ACRES payment, rather than the ANC payment. As I said, these options will be advised to the affected participants by letter.

While social protection policy and implementation is primarily the responsibility of my colleague the Minister for Social Protection, I work closely with her on the inclusion of agriculture schemes under Farm Assist, which is a means-tested payment and provides support for farmers on low incomes. Certain farm payments are disregarded for the purposes of Farm Assist, including ACRES payments. More details can be found at: www.gov.ie/en/service/7cfa30-farm-assist/