Some 28,000 farmers are still awaiting their agri-climate rural environment scheme, ACRES, payments. In counties such as Donegal and Cork, more than 3,500 are waiting while in Wicklow it is approximately 350. This is an important funding source for farmers to assist them to transition to more nature-friendly farming models. When will those payments be made? When will every farmer have his or her payment available to him or her?

I thank the Deputy. It is a really important scheme for farmers and one we significantly backed with a 50% increase in funding. That led to a very high application rate last year. Some 46,000 farmers applied even though we expected approximately 30,000. I made the decision to accept every one of those because I wanted everybody who wanted to participate in ACRES last year, to be able to do so.

That put significant pressure on the system in terms of being able to pay everyone. I had hoped, and we worked hard, to try to pay everyone by December. Unfortunately, given the fact that we accepted everyone, it means that for those in the co-operation stream, payments will start in February. We hope to have many of those paid throughout February. Everyone is working very hard to do this and to back the hard work that farmers did last year and to make sure that all 46,000 receive a payment and get a full payment for last year, which only 30,000 would have if the Government had not stepped up to the mark to support them. Next year, it will move much more smoothly because it will be up and running and into the second year.

By March?

Throughout February, I expect the majority of co-operation payments to be made.