ICSA Rural Development chair Edmond Phelan has strongly criticised the ongoing hold-ups in ACRES payments and warned the delays are eroding farmers’ confidence in all farm schemes. “Around 15,000 farmers are still waiting for the money they are rightfully owed. The poor administration of this vital environmental scheme has left farmers exasperated and questioning whether it is worth participating in these schemes at all. Farmers have done the work, and they deserve to be paid on time.”

According to the latest figures, over 12,000 farmers have yet to receive their 2024 payments, while 2,764 are still awaiting their balancing payments from 2023.

 Mr Phelan said this situation is completely unacceptable and would not be tolerated in any other sector. "Payment delays wouldn’t wash in any other industry, yet farmers are expected to just accept them. We heard from Minister Heydon at the ICSA AGM and Annual Conference last week that it will be months before all the issues are resolved. This is simply not acceptable. The Department of Agriculture continues to cite IT issues as the primary cause of the delays, but this excuse is wearing thin. If the system isn’t working, they need to get the chequebook out and pay manually," he said.

 "Payment delays cause serious cash flow problems, particularly for low-income beef, sheep, and suckler farmers, who are already under immense financial pressure. Farmers have spent significant sums of money fulfilling their obligations under the scheme, and they should not have to wait indefinitely to be paid.”

 Mr Phelan said he is calling on Minister Heydon to make resolving this matter his “absolute priority” to restore confidence in the scheme. “Delays like these undermine trust in all farm schemes. Farmers need certainty, not excuses."