SANTA Claus has arrived just before Christmas for thousands of West of Ireland farmers in the ACRES environmental ‘General Scheme’ with payouts to 17,000 applicants nationwide.

Payments averaging €4,500 started arriving in farmers’ bank accounts since Friday last but the news is not so good for those in the co-operation scheme who will have to wait until February, ’24 for their 85% ‘advance’.

Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue, confirmed on Friday last a payment of €76.5 million to 17,000 General applicants was now being made.

Galway and Mayo are the two largest counties in the country for ACRES (Agri-Climate Rural Environmental Scheme) inclusion with over 11,000 farmers, split almost evenly between both of them.

According to Minister McConalogue, over 46,000 applicants were approved in Tranche 1 of ACRES earlier this year while a further 9,200 farmers have applied for inclusion in Tranche 2 of the scheme.

Galway IFA Chair, Stephen Canavan, while welcoming the payments this week to General applicants, said that it wasn’t good enough for the co-operative participants to have to wait until February for payment.

“If farmers didn’t have their tax returns made in time to Revenue there is very little leeway for putting back the deadline, but when it comes to payments to farmers, delays just seem to be acceptable with the Department.

Pictured: Minister for Agriculture, Charlie McConalogue