Agriculture Schemes

Tuesday, 14 October 2025

Questions (748)

Pa Daly

Question:

748. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of delayed ACRES payments, by county, and by average duration of delay; the reason for the delay; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [55354/25]

View answer

Written answers

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine

The requested breakdown of figures per county is currently being compiled and will be forwarded directly to the Deputy on completion.

The following deferred reply was received under Standing Orders.

I wish to advise that a total of €697.55 million has been paid, to 17 November 2025, to participants in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) in respect of their participation in the Scheme.

The number of participants who are awaiting 2024 ACRES payment, by county, is shown in the table below.

County	Total
Carlow	2
Cavan	25
Clare	57
Cork	129
Donegal	95
Dublin	1
Galway	144
Kerry	91
Kildare	12
Kilkenny	9
Laois	9
Leitrim	37
Limerick	34
Longford	15
Louth	0
Mayo	156
Meath	10
Monaghan	5
Offaly	5
Roscommon	26
Sligo	21
Tipperary	44
Waterford	18
Westmeath	10
Wexford	23
Wicklow	16
	994

The issues which have impacted on the making of payments are primarily:

• Contract and ownership / partnership issues such as requests for the transfer of contract following the date of the participant. Scheme payments where the original participant has died may not be progressed until the legalities such as probate are concluded,

• Issues with scorecards (incorrect score, scorecards not submitted, alignment of scorecards with data from the Basic Income Support for Sustainability Scheme (BISS)),

• Alignment of ACRES data with BISS information, and

• The non-submission to date by participants, or by their ACRES advisors on their behalf, of certain returns/information related to their application.

Given the range of reasons causing delays in the issue of payment, it is not possible to provide an average duration of delay.

My officials continue to examine all contracts, in respect of which payments remain to be issued, on an individual basis to ascertain the reason why they have not passed the required pre-payment validations, as well as the way in which the issue may be resolved to facilitate the issue of the payment to the participant concerned.

I trust that this information is satisfactory.