The assessment of commonages is a “considerable task”, according to the latest update from the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) assessors.

Despite the area of commonage across Ireland requiring an assessment that covers nearly 90,000ha across 23 counties, the latest ACRES commonage update said: “We are making good progress and are confident of completing the task on time.”

Despite the vast area of commonages that have to be assessed, significant progress has been made, as the assessments of the Slieve Aughties in Co. Galway and Co. Clare are “almost finished”, as are the scattered commonages in Limerick, north Cork, and north Kerry.

By the end of this week, the three cooperation projects (CP) zones (ACRES Breifne, ACRES Leinster and ACRES Munster south Connacht) will have close to 40% of their area assessed.

In addition to those areas, all commonages over 10ha outside of Donegal, Mayo, and the western parts of Cork, Galway, Kerry, Roscommon, Co. Sligo will be assessed by the project workers.

All of these commonages will be assessed, typically by November 2023, before payments will be issued to farmers.

Currently 6000ha per week is being assessed, with over 30,000ha completed so far this year.

The assessment of commonages is undertaken by employees of the Hen Harrier Project, which is contracted to carry out this work by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) .

Undertaking the assessments

The assessment of the commonages is necessary to:

  1. Calculate payments to participating farmers;
  2. Establish a baseline against which future changes can be compared;
  3. Identify opportunities for potential landscape actions;
  4. Collect data to inform the screening of landscape actions and non-productive investments.

For the assessment of the commonages, aerial drone surveys have been utilised to guide the work, while 20-22 project staff work each day, split into a northern and a southern group.

The ACRES commonage update stated: “Our approach is to focus the resources within each group on a cluster of commonages, work these through to completion and then move on to the next cluster.

“Using this approach we can direct up to six teams of 2-3 staff on a single mountain range and typically complete the assessment within 1-2 weeks.”

Areas being assessed

Those with very large areas of commonage, including the Slieve Blooms, the Cooleys and the Wicklow Mountains will take “longer” to assess.

The ACRES commonage update assured farmers in these areas that as the assessments had not taken place yet, they would still be “assessed on time” and that the farmers were not “forgotten” about.

The completed commonage assessments include:

  • The Dartry Mountains in Sligo and Leitrim;
  • The Galtees in Limerick and Tipperary;
  • The Knockmealdown Mountains in Waterford;
  • Musheramore Cork.

The Comeragh Mountains in Waterford “will be finished next week,” according to the ACRES commonage update.

Work is soon to begin in Cuilcagh in Co. Cavan this week, while the Blackstairs in Carlow and Wexford is due to commence “shortly”.

ACRES CAP COMMONAGE DAFM ENVIRONMENT HEN HARRIER PROJECT HILL FARMING