Just over 96,000 scorecards for the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) have been completed and submitted ahead of this weekend's deadline.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) issued 125,000 scorecards to ACRES advisors at the start of June.

The latest data published by the department shows that 96,052 (77%) of those scorecards had been returned by August 22.

The deadline for the submission of ACRES scorecards to the department falls on Sunday (August 31, 2025).

DAFM previously said that scorecards must be submitted by the deadline in order to allow advance payments to be made in November.

Up to August 22, a total of almost €516 million has been paid to ACRES participants.

Balancing payments, in respect of participation in the scheme in 2023, were made on August 22 to 8 farmers with those payments amounting to €3,817.

This brought the total paid in respect of participation in ACRES in 2023 to €248.8 million, paid to 44,431 farmers, or over 99% of all ACRES tranche 1 participants.

DAFM confirmed that a total of 209 farmers have yet to receive their final payments for 2023.

Advance payments, in respect of participation in the scheme in 2024, were made on August 22 to 21 participants, with those payments amounting to €88,433.

This payment run brought total 2024 advance payments to over €227.4 million, paid to 52,905 farmers, or over 98% of all ACRES participants.

The department noted that advance payments in respect of scheme participation in 2024 still have to be made to 1,009 farmers across tranches 1 and 2.

Of these, 209 are also awaiting their balancing payment in respect of 2023, as that must be paid before the 2024 advance payment may be made to them.

The most recent run of balancing payments for 2024 saw €77,159 issued to a further 97 farmers.

This brought the total paid in balancing payments in respect of 2024 to almost €39.3 million, to 52,059 participants.

DAFM said that this means that over 96% of all participants are up to date with ACRES payments.

The department said that processing of outstanding ACRES cases continues, and payments are being made on a weekly basis to those participants whose contracts have been cleared.

Meanwhile, the claims system for Non-Productive Investments (NPIs), forwhich approvals issued in December 2024 and April 2025, is currently open.

To date, 148 claims have been submitted for 2023 while 38 have been submitted for 2024.

The application window for Landscape Actions also remains open.