A new update has been issued to Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) advisers which confirms that the establishment deadline for new hedgerow and tree planting actions will be extended for tranche one participants by 12 months.
According to the information issued today (Thursday, March 14) by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) the deadline has been extended because of “current market restraints and the limited supplies of suitable hedgerow and tree plants”.
Last November the requirement for whitethorn planted under ACRES to be of Irish provenance and origin was removed because of “heightened demand for hedgerow plants” which had led to a shortage of native whitethorn.
From today where participants are “unable to source” adequate quantities of suitable hedgerow and tree plants to fully satisfy their ACRES Tranche 1 commitments, an extension has been granted to March 31, 2025.
According to DAFM the extension only strictly applies to:
- Planting a new hedgerow;
- Planting a traditional orchard;
- Planting trees in riparian buffer zones;
- Tree belts for ammonia capture from farmyards;
- Tree planting.
In a statement from DAFM the department said: “ACRES recommends that participants use this extension wisely in a bid to plan accordingly to meet their planting needs in advance of the next dormant season.”
ACRES
Earlier this month the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine confirmed that all 9,000 farmers who applied for tranche 2 of ACRES will be accepted.
MInister Charlie McConalogue said that the level of interest shown by farmers in ACRES since its launch had “been hugely encouraging in terms of farmers engagement with environmental action”.
When tranche 1 of ACRES was first launched it was estimated that the €1.5 billion scheme would accommodate 50,000 farmers.
However an enthusiastic response to tranche 1 saw 46,000 farmers apply to the scheme.
According to Minister McConalogue ACRES is set to become the country’s largest agri environment scheme and with a total number of 55,000 farmers.