The deadline for Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) approved advisors to submit scorecards is just days away with 31 August 2025 the final date for submission of scorecards.

In the region of 125,000 scorecards were issued to ACRES advisors in the first week of June with reports indicating that upwards of 90% of scorecards have been successfully completed and submitted.

There is also a significant number in draft stage with advisors on target to submit scorecards in the required timeframe. Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon released a reminder last week to ACRES advisors about the impending deadline and also highlighted the availability of a report function on his Department’s Generic Land Management (GLAM) system allowing advisors to check on the status of scorecards.

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He highlighted the importance of submitting scorecards with this a vital process in the processing of this year’s payments.

Payment update

Meanwhile, the latest ACRES payment update published by the Department of Agriculture shows a total of €516m paid as of 22 August 2025. This includes €266.7m paid in respect of scheme participation in 2024 and €249m relating to participation in 2023.

The latest update shows eight participants received balancing payments amounting to €3,817.42 in relation to balancing payments for 2023.

The payment update states that “this brought the total paid in respect of participation in ACRES in 2023 to €248.8 million, paid to 44,431 participants, or over 99% of all ACRES Tranche 1 participants”.

It adds that a total of 209 farmers have yet to receive their final payments for 2023 and that “processing of these cases continues, and payments are being made on a weekly basis to those participants whose contracts have been cleared during that period”.

2024 advance payments

A further 21 participants received their advance payment on 22 August with payments amounting to €88,433.59. The Department outlines that “this payment run brought total 2024 advance payments to over €227.4 million, paid to 52,905 farmers, or over 98% of all ACRES participants”.

A total of 1,009 ACRES participants across tranches one and two are still awaiting their 2024 balancing payment. This includes the 209 farmers still to receive their 2023 balancing payment as that must be paid before the 2024 advance payment can be sanctioned.

2024 balancing payments

A total of €77,159.60 was paid to 97 more participants as part of 2024 balancing payments.

The Department reports that this has brought total balancing payment to €39.3m paid to 52,059 participants or 96% of all participants. This leaves around of 1,850 participants still to receive their 2024 balancing payment.