John Paul O'Shea (Cork North-West, Fine Gael)
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513. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when a 2024 and 2025 ACRES payment is expected to issue to a farm partnership (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50292/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The partnership to which the Deputy refers comprises of two herdowners who had submitted separate applications to enter the Co-operation approach of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) and were both approved into Tranche 1 of the Scheme, with a commencement date of 1st January 2023. I note that payments in respect of their individual contracts have been finalised in respect of 2023.

As regards their payments under ACRES in respect of 2024, I understand that a request was submitted to my Department for the transfer of the two ACRES contracts to the partnership in question. That request is being actively progressed by Department officials, after which the ACRES payment in respect of 2024 can be processed and finalised. I wish to assure the Deputy that work is ongoing to finalise all outstanding ACRES payments, with payments continuing to issue on a weekly basis.

The issue of advance payments to ACRES participants in respect of 2025 is scheduled to commence in November 2025.