Sinn Féin leader Mary Lou McDonald has challenged the Taoiseach and Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue to ensure that Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) payments are made before Christmas.

“It has not been a good year in terms of the delays to a range of key farm payments. Farmers have already experienced serious delays to BISS payments and to payments under the ANC and eco scheme. Thousands of these payments are still outstanding.

"Now, this trend of delay is affecting payments under the agri-environmental scheme, known as ACRES. Many farmers have been told the best they can hope for is for these payments to land from February 2024,” she told the Dáil.

Farmers were actively encouraged by the Government to undertake work and incur expenses under this scheme, she said.

'Bills mounting'

“Now, their bills are mounting up and they've been left high and dry as we approach Christmas.

"This is completely unacceptable."

McDonald called on the Taoiseach to ensure that Minister McConalogue steps in urgently and ensure outstanding ACRES payments are made before Christmas as promised.

Speaking afterwards, McDonald added that “junior [Minister of State] Martin Heydon today doubled down on the payment dates”.

“Minister McConalogue must now consider making advance payments and he should write to farmers to tell them when they will receive those payments. Thousands of farming families are depending on it,” she said.