The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed the deadline for soil sampling for the Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).

The department previously granted an extension for the submission of soil sample results for ACRES tranche 1 participants to December 31, 2024.

DAFM has now informed ACRES advisors that the final date for the uploading of the soilsample results, or a soil sample exemption form, in respect of ACRES tranche 1 contractsis Wednesday, April 30, 2025.

The department said that soil sampling is a "key requirement" of the agri-environmental scheme.

"The penalty for non-submission of soil sampling results/soil sample exemption form is a review of the continued participation of your client in the scheme, with a possibility of termination of contract and recoupment of monies paid," DAFM told advisors.

The department noted that the relevant documents must be uploaded on the online system by an approved ACRES advisor and documents submitted by post or email will not be accepted.

Only samples taken on or after January 1, 2022 and before December 31, 2024 will beconsidered valid.

Earlier this month, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon said that he does not foresee what he described as a “manual fix” for the payment delay issues in ACRES.

The minister told the Agricultural Consultants Association (ACA) annual general meeting (AGM) that the efforts underway at present to resolve the payment delays would provide permanent solutions that would prevent a reoccurrence of similar issues in future years of the scheme.

The minister rejected the approach of ad-hoc solutions used on a year-by-year basis which, he suggested, would not actually address the issues.

The Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) has said that an interim payment is now needed for farmers in the scheme.

 IFA Connacht chair Brendan Golden said that there are "10,000-plus farm families still waiting on payments".

“While ACRES is an overly complex scheme, it is clear that there is a systemic problem or under resourcing in some of the DAFM divisions that operate in Johnstown Castle.

“Either way, the best outcome for farmers is to make an interim payment from national funds now,” he said.