ICMSA confirm “generally positive” payments update from DAFM

Speaking after Thursday’s (2 October) meeting of the Charter of Farmers Rights, the Deputy President of ICMSA, Eamon Carroll, has welcomed the update provided on the payment dates for the various schemes and said that it will enable farmers to plan much more effectively when they can, in turn, pay their outstanding bills.

Mr. Carroll said that updates on payment for all schemes were given but the most positive is the indication that 90% of 2025 ACRES payments will be made in December this year.

“That’s a very significant improvement on the previous payment years of 2023 and 2024, which, almost unbelievably, still have some outstanding payments left to be made. To put it in context, if 90% received their initial ACRES payment in December that will amount to almost 50,000 farmers. Look at the contrast with previous years; it took to March 2025 to complete 95% of 2023 payments.  We don’t want to be negative about the significant ‘uptick’ in the DAFM’s performance on payments – it’s been generally positive – but they really need to get on top of the outstanding payments for 2023 and 2024 and the target has to be that all the eligible farmers in 2025 receive their payments in the calendar year of 2025”, he said.

Mr. Carroll, who also serves as Chair of the Farm & Rural Affairs Committee, said that payments under ANC Payments have already been made to more than 90,000 farmers with the balance of eligible farmers to be paid through to the end of the year. BISS and ECO payments will commence from 16 October be made through to the end October with the Department confident that most farmers will receive their payments on time.  

“There are cases that have yet to be processed fully, ICMSA asked the Department to immediately make contact with the farmers in question so that any problems can be resolved quickly, thus avoiding payment delays”, he continued.

On the issue of the so-called ‘Forgotten Farmers’ scheme, Mr. Carroll noted that the DAFM was confident of payment early December but had advised that not all farmers who applied for that scheme will receive payment, as some were deemed ineligible.  

“We were critical of the Terms & Conditions of this scheme when it was set out and our criticisms have been vindicated. Many deserving farmers have been excluded, and we still think that it’s possible – and would be the right thing to do – to revisit this scheme and put in place some kind of reasonable Appeals Mechanism for those farmers deemed ineligible and excluded. As it stands ICMSA believes that the ‘Forgotten farmers’ are being forgotten again”, he said.

The ICMSA Deputy President concluded by stressing the need for the Department to reach out proactively to farmers whose applications have not been processed fully and explain what the difficulties are, and how they should be resolved.

Ends     3 October 2025

Eamon Carroll, 087-6312945

Deputy President

Or

Cathal MacCarthy, 087-6168758

ICMSA Press Office