Carol Nolan (Offaly, Independent)
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551. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the measures he is taking to address the delays in processing ACRES payments; the number of applications to ACRES from County Offaly in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [9043/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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ACRES is the first scheme of its kind to upscale results-based payments to a national level. This is a significant change in implementing such an innovative and ambitious scheme, and it has come with complexities and challenges.

To date, more than €436 million has been paid out to farmers to date in respect of their participation in ACRES.

In respect of advance payments scheduled to commence in November 2024, some €189 million issued to 43,822 farmers. This is 81% of all farmers applicants.

Advance payments to the remaining applicants are being processed on a fortnightly basis, as issues are resolved.

Some 94% of more than 42,000 ACRES applicants have received a payment in respect of their participation in ACRES in 2023. Of the remaining cases, almost all have already received an interim payment of either €4,000 or €5,000 in mid-March 2024. In many instances, this covered the entire payment due. Where the interim payment does not cover the entire amount due, work is underway to ensure that any remaining payments are finalised and issued as quickly as possible.

While there are always challenges in the initial implementation of a Scheme, progress is being made and the resolution of issues now will contribute to a more streamlined implementation from now on.

Certain issues such as transfers of contracts, late or non-submission of scorecards, and alignment of ACRES information with data held by the Department on other IT systems, have contributed to the delay in the making of payments where they have occurred. Work is ongoing to resolve these issues, and every effort is being made to process outstanding payments as quickly as possible.

This reflects the progress that has been made in the delivery of the required IT systems.

As is the case with all EU co-funded schemes, claims for payments under ACRES must pass regulatory controls and validations before payment can issue.

My Department is continuing to investigate and progress all cases that have not yet received payments. As these are resolved, they are added to the next scheduled pay run. Fortnightly pay runs are taking place to ensure that these payments are issued in a timely manner. I can assure you that everything is being done to pay, as soon as possible, all ACRES participants who clear the required pre-payment validation checks.

All valid applications for both tranches were accepted into the scheme. A total of 1,693 farmers with holdings in County Offaly are currently active participants in ACRES, of whom 127 entered the Scheme in 2024.