ICSA president Sean McNamara has said Minister McConalogue must ensure that all remaining ACRES payments are issued in June as promised. "Minister McConalogue has stated that balancing payments will be made regularly throughout June, and this commitment must be honoured. Farmers will not accept any more excuses," he said.

"The prolonged saga of delayed ACRES payments has been ongoing for far too long, with promised payment dates repeatedly pushed back. Farmers cannot be expected to do more and more on the environment if the Department doesn’t have the necessary systems in place to pay farmers for the work they have done. ACRES is our flagship environmental scheme but leaving farmers financially stranded has left a very bad taste. No farmer should have to wait this long to receive any payment.”

Mr McNamara said timely payments are not just a matter of financial fairness but also essential for the sustainability of many farming operations. “Delays in payments can lead to significant cash flow problems and affect farmers' ability to meet their financial obligations. This is particularly the case for low-income beef, sheep, and suckler sectors. It is imperative that Minister McConalogue follows through on his commitment this time and farmers receive what they are owed by the end of June.”