The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has issued over €516 million to farmers participating in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).

Balancing payments for participating in the agri-environmental scheme in 2023 were made on September 4 to 12 farmers and on September 8 to 15 farmers. Those payments amounted to €132,777.

DAFM said that this brought the total paid in respect of participation in ACRES in 2023 to over €249.1 million, paid to 44,527 farmers, or over 99% of all ACRES tranche 1 participants.

A total of 79 farmers have yet to receive their final payments for 2023.

Advance payments, in respect of participation in the scheme in 2024, were made on September 4 to 5 participants, with those payments amounting to €24,034.

This payment run brought total 2024 advance payments to over €227.5 million, paid to 52,926 farmers, or over 98% of all ACRES participants.

The department confirmed that advance payments in respect of scheme participation in 2024 have still to be made to 946 farmers across tranches 1 and 2.

Of these 946 farmers, 79 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 on September 4 paid €17,798 to a further 31 farmers.

The total paid in balancing payments in respect of 2024 is now over €39.3 million to 52,128 participants.

DAFM said that this means that almost 97% of all participants are up to date with payments.

The department said that payments will continue to be made weekly once contracts are cleared.

125,000 ACRES scorecards were issued at the beginning of June of which 116,626 had been submitted by September 8.

Scorecards had to be submitted by August 31 to allow advance payments to be made in November 2025.

The claims system for non-productive investments (NPIs) is now open. To date, 224 claims have been submitted for 2023 while 65 have been submitted for 2024.

The application window for Landscape Actions also remains open.

The annual declaration for the conservation of rare breeds action can be completed for 2024 on the ACRES rare breeds online portal on the AgFood system.

All claims in respect of 2024 should be submitted as soon as possible and no laterthan November 15, 2025.