Peter Cleere (Carlow-Kilkenny, Fianna Fail)
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348. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when the approximately 10,000 farmers who are awaiting ACRES payments will be paid; if they will be paid an interim payment as happened in 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [14801/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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Following the most recent pay run, I can confirm that advance payments totalling €193.5 million have now been made to 44,939 farmers in respect of their participation in ACRES in 2024. This number represents 83% of all participants. Advance payments remain to be made to 9,316 participants across the two tranches.

This means that €441 million has now been paid to ACRES participants to date, as €247.4 million has also been paid to 42,631 farmers, or 95% of all ACRES participants, in respect of their participation in the Scheme in 2023. A further 2,302 farmers have yet to receive their final payments for 2023. Of these, 2,008 have already received an interim payment which, in many instances, will cover the entire payment due.

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 those payments. My Department is actively resolving these remaining issues. In some cases, action is required by the participant to progress the payment claim.

My focus remains on getting all of the outstanding payments processed as quickly as possible.

My Department will be issuing regular online updates over the coming period on the progress being made, with the expectation of having the payments in respect of farmers’ participation in ACRES in 2023 and 2024 made by the end of June.