Tipperary TD speaks on €33 million balancing payments to be made to farmers

Michael Lowry issued a statement this afternoon

Balancing payments of €33.2million in respect of participation in ACRES (Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme) have commenced with payments due to 42,444 participants.

This brings the amount paid to farmers in respect of ACRES to €490 million since the scheme commenced in January 2023.

Payment in respect of participation in ACRES is made in two phases - an advance payment, which may be paid from mid October of the year in question, and a balancing payment, which follows by the end of June of the following year. Farmers are advised that, while the 2024 ACRES balancing payments have commenced, remaining payments in respect of 2023 and the 2024 ACRES Advance payments will also continue to issue on a weekly basis as cases pass the required validation checks.

Deputy Michael Lowry says he recognises and welcomes the contribution of farmers in Tipperary, North Kilkenny and right across the country to ACRES.

"This Scheme benefits a range of environmental, biodiversity, climate and water quality objectives. The achievements to date include the planting of 566,000 trees, 26,000 hectares under catch crops and the protection of almost 9,000 kilometres of watercourses under the Riparian Zone action," he says.

"As regards biodiversity, 7,000 hectares of land are providing a food source for birds throughout the autumn and winter, while 21,000 boxes have been built for barn owls and kestrels.

"In addition, the area covered by results-based actions has increased from 80,000 hectares to more than 1.1 million hectares, and the number of farmers implementing such actions has increased tenfold. The €490 million paid out under ACRES to date is to compensate and reward participants for undertaking all of the actions within ACRES, which in turn contributes to achieving the stated objectives of the Scheme," concluded Deputy Lowry.