Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 20 March 2025
389. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the ACRES payments made from 2020 to 2024 and date in 2025, by country, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13209/25]
Amharc ar fhreagra390. Deputy Pa Daly asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the average delay in making ACRES payments from 2020 to 2024 and date in 2025, by county, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [13210/25]
Amharc ar fhreagraI propose to take Questions Nos. 389 and 390 together.
Data in relation to lengths of time that ACRES payments have been outstanding is not held by my Department.
ACRES was implemented on a phased basis, with a commencement date of 1st January 2023 for Tranche 1 participants and 1st January 2024 for Tranche 2 participants. It is important to note that not all outstanding payments are caused by delays within my Department. The issues which are impacting on the making of payments in respect of each year are primarily:
• Contract and ownership / partnership issues,
• Issues with scorecards (incorrect score, scorecards not submitted, alignment of scorecards with BISS data), and
• Alignment of ACRES data with latest BISS information.
The Department is actively resolving the remaining issues through, for example, the development of the required IT functionality and the investigation of issues associated with specific contracts. However, in some cases, action is required by the participant to progress the payment claim.
More than €436 million has been paid out to farmers to date in respect of their participation in ACRES.
In respect of advance payments which commenced in November 2024, some €189 million has issued to 43,822 farmers, representing just under 81% of active participating herds. Advance payments to the remaining applicants are being processed every 10 days, as issues are resolved.
A total of €247.4 million has been paid to 42,631 participants (25,537 General and 17,094 Co-operation), or 95% of all ACRES participants, in respect of their participation in ACRES in 2023. Of the remaining cases, almost all received an interim payment of either €4,000 or €5,000 by mid-March 2024. In many instances, this covered the entire payment due. Where the interim payment does not cover the entire amount due, work is underway to ensure that any remaining payments are finalised and issued as quickly as possible.
I will arrange for the payments per county to be forwarded directly to the Deputy when compiled.
