Interim payment announced amid 'huge frustration' over ACRES delays

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue has confirmed that these payments will be made to those who have not yet received their advance payments for participation in the scheme. Picture: Brian Lawless

Interim payments to participants in tranche one of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) have been announced.

These payments will be made to those who have not yet received their advance payments for participation in the scheme.

Making the announcement, Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue said: "Following the commencement of advance payments to ACRES general participants last December, work has continued on the processing of further advance payments, and on the preparation of payments to ACRES co-operation participants. 

"Every effort continues to be made to ensure that all of these payments can be issued as quickly as possible.

This work is ongoing and is a priority but is likely to take a further period to complete. 

"In these circumstances, I have decided to make an interim, nationally-funded payment to those farmers affected across ACRES general and co-operation."

The minister said that further details will be provided next week, but it is intended this interim payment will be delivered by the end of February. 

"Intensive work will continue on the calculation of the full payments due to farmers under ACRES, and when this work is completed, the final payments issued to farmers will take into account the interim payments already made to the relevant participants," Mr McConalogue added.

'Step forward'

Irish Farmers' Association president Francie Gorman said that the announcement of an interim payment is a "step forward".

"There has been huge frustration among farmers that payments had been delayed," Mr Gorman said. 

"The interim payment does recognise the hardship for farmers who had entered the scheme and who had expected payment late last year. 

It was very unfair to ask farmers to carry out works in the agri-environment scheme and then to leave them high and dry.

"The efficiency of payments as part of farm schemes is central to maintaining the trust of farmers."

IFA rural development chairman John Curran said it must be a priority that all farmers get into ACRES.

He said farmer participation in agri-environment schemes over the lifetime of this CAP term "cannot be limited to 50,000 ACRES participants".

"All farmers interested in an agri-environment scheme must be accommodated. The minister has to find the necessary funding to ensure this happens," Mr Curran added.