Delays in payments under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) "undermine trust and place unnecessary financial pressure" on farm families, a Wicklow TD has said.  

Social Democrats TD Jennifer Whitmore has criticised the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) for ongoing delays to payments for 2024. Deputy Whitmore, who is the party’s spokesperson on agriculture, said that nationally, "there are 2,961 farmers waiting for their 2024 advance, with 8,315 waiting for any payment at all".

The situation is causing "unnecessary stress and undermining trust", she said.

“In my own Wicklow constituency, 62 farmers have yet to receive their advance payment, and 191 are still waiting on any payments. That’s nearly one in three participants left in limbo," Deputy Whitmore said.

"Many have already invested time and money into these measures, and the department’s failure to deliver payments on time is completely unacceptable. “Farmers need certainty. If the government wants to encourage participation in schemes like ACRES, it must ensure that payments are made promptly and fairly."

The deputy has urged the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon to urgently address the ACRES backlog and "ensure that all outstanding payments are processed without further delay".

Representatives from the DAFM will go before the Oireachtas Joint Committee on Agriculture and Food today (Wednesday, June 25).

The committee is meeting for engagement on delays to DAFM scheme payments.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Oireachtas committee chair, Fianna Fáil Cork North-West TD, Aindrias Moynihan, said that delays of DAFM scheme payments such as ACRES to recipients remain an “ongoing concern and an unacceptable issue”.

“We welcome the department officials to the meeting and we will be asking for in-depth detail on why this problem persists and what has been implemented in order to address the ongoing issues,” Deputy Moynihan said.

“The department must be in a position to devote whatever resources are necessary to ensure these vital payments are delivered to the farmers relying on them.”