ACRES: ICSA calls for 'firm non-negotiable' date for payments
The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) has called for a "firm, non-negotiable" end date for delayed payments to be made under the Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).
ICSA rural development chairperson Edmond Phelan has said it is "completely unacceptable" that farmers are still waiting "indefinitely" for the ACRES payments they are entitled to.
"According to the latest figures, there are around 10,400 farmers still waiting for their payments, with over 2,700 of these yet to receive their balancing payments from 2023, let alone those for 2024," Phelan said.
"This saga has gone on far too long and must be brought to a conclusion."
"It is not enough to simply set start date after start date for payments to flow. There must be an end date, and that end date must be set in stone," Phelan added.
According to the ICSA rural development chairperson, an end date should be put in place and outstanding ACRES payments should be made automatically if not made by that date.
"This current situation is completely unacceptable and is undermining trust in the entire scheme," he said.
"Nearly two years have passed since farmers first applied for the ACRES [programme]. It is time for some quid pro quo. Farmers have upheld their commitments under the strictest of parameters, and the department must now do the same.
"Thousands of farmers cannot continue to be left out of pocket due to bureaucratic delays. There is also growing disillusionment among farmers to consider, with many questioning whether it is worth signing up for schemes at all for fear that they will be left high and dry when it comes to getting paid," Phelan added.
He called on Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon to set a definitive end date for the clearance of payments, beyond which all outstanding payments must be issued "without delay".
"The minister must now provide clarity, certainty, and a commitment to an immovable end date for all outstanding payments. Anything less is a failure to respect the financial stability of those who have engaged in good faith," Phelan added.
In other ACRES news, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has confirmed the deadline for soil sampling under the scheme.
The department previously granted an extension for the submission of soil sample results for ACRES tranche 1 participants to December 31, 2024.
The department has now informed ACRES advisors that the final date for the uploading of the soil sample results, or a soil sample exemption form, in respect of ACRES tranche 1 contracts is Wednesday, April 30, 2025.
