New Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon comments on ACRES payments

On Thursday 20th February 2025, the new Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Deputy Martin Heydon, made a statements at the Houses of the Oireachtas on the importance of Agrifood to the Irish Economy. During the debate he commented on the payments issues facing ACRES participants. The full debate can be read here but the excerpt on ACRES payments is given below.

“The agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, and resolving the challenges farmers have faced with payments are top of my priority list. More than €428 million has issued to farmers in respect of their participation in ACRES to date. This includes advance payments of €182 million to 42,128 farmers in respect of their participation in the scheme in 2024. This figure represents just over 78% of all farmers in ACRES.

It does, however, mean that just over 12,000 farmers are still awaiting their advance payment for 2024. Included in this cohort are 2,764 farmers who have still to receive their balancing payment from 2023. While they did receive an interim payment last year to acknowledge that, I acknowledge the significant frustration and challenges for those farmers who have not received clarity or who are awaiting payment.

Farmers are a resilient group and, like a lot of good business people, they can deal with most things that are thrown at them when they know what it is they are dealing with and when they know the timelines and impediments. That is what we must resolve.

There are a number of issues affecting payments. As I delved into this in my first month in the role, I realised these include instances where farmers have applied to transfer their contracts, issues with regard to the submission of scorecards for the results-based payment, and the completion of outstanding IT functionality. Where the impediment is on our side in the Department, if extra resources are needed, I am very clear that they will be found and we will do everything we can to get this addressed as quickly as possible. This work is being prioritised and it is my priority to have outstanding cases resolved as quickly as possible.

Payment runs are taking place fortnightly and every case that gets cleared goes in for the next payment run within that 14-day period. It is vital that farmers' confidence in ACRES is restored with permanent solutions found to these issues so that they do not arise again in future payment runs.

I have instructed officials in my Department to issue regular online updates over the coming period on the progress being made.

Balancing payments in respect of farmers’ participation in the scheme in 2024 will commence as scheduled in May, and it is my determination that the majority of outstanding payments will be resolved by this point, with the most complex cases finalised in June at the latest.”

Minister Martin Heydon, Minister of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. Source: By Houses of the Oireachtas - https://www.flickr.com/photos/54097310@N08/54186959926/, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=156357590