Longford Farming: Quarter of farmers did not get festive ACRES

More than €172 million in ACRES advance payments were due to have been paid to farmers in December but about 13,500 were not expected to have been paid what was due to them by Christmas.

That's according to figures from the Department of Agriculture in a statement issued on December 23 about participation in the Scheme in 2024.

The statement said this brings the total received by farmers in the scheme to €419 million, following the payment of €247 million for their 2023 participation.

The Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue (pictured) spoke about the scheme.

“ACRES is an ambitious scheme which seeks to deliver environmental improvements through a wide range of actions, including complex new results-based components. “I am therefore pleased to note that a total of €419 million has been paid to farmers to date. Advance payments of €21.9 million are issuing to 5,153 ACRES participants today in respect of their participation in the Scheme in 2024. This is the third pay run in respect of 2024 advance payments - these began in November, and today’s payments bring to €172.1 million the total amount issued, and the number of farmers paid to 39,826 across both Tranche 1 and 2, and across ACRES General and Co-operation approaches,” he said.

Minister McConalogue accepted that about three quarters of the total number of participants in ACRES were due to receive their 2024 advance payment before Christmas.

“I wish to assure those who have not received their advance payments in recent weeks that the processing of payments is continuing, with pay runs to be made on a fortnightly basis from the end of January 2025,

“The participation of more than 54,000 farmers in a national agri-environmental scheme is a testament to the interest and commitment of Irish farmers in protecting and enhancing our environment in terms of biodiversity, water quality and climate measures," the Minister concluded.