ACRES interim payments begin issuing to over 23,000 farmers

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue said that the interim payments will be received by farmers into their bank accounts in the coming days. Picture: Brian Lawless

Interim payments to participants in tranche one of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) are on the way. 

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

Delayed payments have been a source of great concern and frustration for farmers in recent months. 

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

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

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."

€113.6m to ACRES participants

Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue said that the interim payments will be received by farmers into their bank accounts in the coming days. 

"While this interim payment is being issued by my department today, Wednesday, February 28, the receipt of same in farmers’ accounts will depend on the clearance process in the various financial institutions," Mr McConalogue said.

"The amounts being paid are €4,000 to those in the ACRES general approach and €5,000 to participants in the ACRES co-operation project approach. 

"The overall amount being paid, in this first pay run, is €113.6m to 23,709 ACRES participants."

June 2024 payments

While these payments will be issued by the end of this month, Mr McConalogue there are, however, "a small number of applications requiring further processing, and the interim payment in respect of this cohort will issue in about ten days’ time". 

"My department is continuing to process ACRES tranche one contracts with the intention of making payments to all eligible participants in June 2024," Mr McConalogue continued. 

"A letter is being issued this week to all those ACRES participants who are getting the interim payment to let them know that the ACRES payment will take into account the amount already paid to them in the interim payment. 

"It will also outline the process if the ACRES payment is calculated to be less than the amount of the interim payment." 

Mr McConalogue said that the "combination of the numbers involved, the complexity of the payment calculations and this being the first year of the ACRES scheme" has meant that the processing of advance payments "is taking longer than envisaged".

"Notwithstanding these factors, my department has already issued advance payments to the value of €88.4m to 19,719 participants, and continues to work to ensure that the processing of ACRES payments is a priority, with the focus now very much on issuing payments in June 2024," he added.