The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine has confirmed that payments under the Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) will start in late November.
In response to a Dáil question raised by the Independent TD, Michael McNamara, on when farmers would receive payments, Minister Charlie McConalogue said that “all ACRES applications must pass regulatory controls and validations before payment can issue”.
“It is anticipated that payments for those cases that have passed all validations will commence in late November, and will continue to issue thereafter on a weekly basis.
“All necessary material to enable ACRES payments to be calculated needs to be provided to my department by advisors on behalf of their clients,” Minister McConalogue said.
He said this includes the submission of completed scorecards and the submission of Low Emission Slurry Spreading returns.
Minister McConalogue added: “In addition, each participant is required to complete a one-day training course in the first year of their contract.
“I would urge all advisors and farmers to ensure that all outstanding requirements are fulfilled in order to facilitate the earliest possible payment of participants.”
There are currently 46,000 farmers already approved in tranche one of the scheme and a second tranche is due to open in mid-October.
ACRES
Minister McConalogue has repeatedly highlighed that ACRES is his department’s “flagship agri-environment scheme under the new Common Agricultural policy (CAP) Strategic Plan 2023-2027.”
It consists of two streams – ACRES General and ACRES Co-operation Project (CP).
According to the minister a maximum payment of €10,500 annually is available to ACRES CP participants while €7,311 is available for those in the General approach.
A total €7,000 is also ring-fenced for results-based payments, with the additional €3,500 allocated for for non-productive investments and landscape actions.
In the region of €52,500 is potentially payable to farmers who participate in an ACRES Co-operation Project over the five years of the scheme.
Grazing season
Separately the Independent TD for Roscommon-Galway, Denis Naughten, asked Minister McConalogue if he would consider an extension to the grazing season under the ACRES scheme on geese and swan lands and breeding wader lands for one month to November 1.
Deputy Naughten said he had asked the minister to consider an extension in light of the “dramatic impact of summer flooding in the Shannon and Suck Callows”.
But Minister McConalogue told the deputy that because many of Ireland’s wintering waterbirds “start utilising inland sites from October onwards, such lands would not be compatible with an extension of grazing beyond this time”.
“Based on this, I can confirm that there will not be an extension granted in relation to extending the grazing season into October under the ACRES scheme for geese and swan lands or breeding wader lands,” the minister stated.