Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has said that it will be "September at the latest" before the payments system for non-productive investments (NPIs) is ready under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).

Under ACRES, farmers in the Co-operation Project (CP) section of the scheme can undertake NPIs to enhance their payments.

NPIs are small-scale environmental actions available to farmers in the ACRES CP which support nature-friendly management of farms.

NPIs are applied for on behalf of farmers by their ACRES advisor as part of a NPI – Annual Works Plan (AWP).

According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, completing approved NPIs allows a farmer to add to their ACRES payment by up to a maximum of €17,500 over the five-year period of their contract.

There has been two application windows for farmers to apply for NPIs; one in 2023 and one last year in 2024.

However, the payments system to support the submission of claims and the processing of payments in respect of approved NPI applications is not yet in place.

The department had already said that the system would be in place in 2025.

Minister Heydon, speaking at the first meeting of the new Joint Oireachtas Committee on Agriculture, Food and the Marine, which took place today (Wednesday, May 28), indicated a target of September for that system to be in place.

He told Fine Gael Clare TD Joe Cooney: "The great focus has been getting people their basic [ACRES] payment first and foremost, getting their problems resolved on that.

"On the NPI payments then, the officials are working through on his, but we are making progress on that side, and hope to have them resolved as soon as possible over the summer, or September at the latest, in terms of getting them resolved, and getting payments through on them," Minister Heydon added.

ACRES was one of the main topics that came up at today's committee meeting, the other top issues for TDs and senators being TB and the future of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP).

Other topics that featured were the nitrates derogation, GAEC (Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition) 2; and the EU-Mercosur Trade Agreement.

This was the minister's first appearance at the Oireachtas agriculture committee in his role as the senior department minister.

Minister Heydon’s previous appearances at the committee, in its previous iteration before the general election last year, were in his then role as minister for state with responsibility for new market development, farm safety, and research and development.

This was the first meeting of the current committee, post-general election, where it carried out its role of scrutinising the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the ministers responsible for it.

As the first meeting, it had somewhat of an introductory tone, serving as a way for the committee to get off the ground for the new Dáil term and begin its formal engagement with the minister.

One member of the committee, senator Victor Boyhan, said: "[Minister Heydon] indicated that he wanted a fresh start, a new relationship with agriculture, with stakeholders, and with us as committee members, so I think that's encouraging."