Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has announced that participants who entered the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) under tranche 1 may now avail of a voluntary training course.

The course will be provided under the ACRES Training Scheme (ATS), and are available for the rest of the year up to December 31.

The ACRES Training Scheme, which is a separate intervention in Ireland’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan 2023-2027, provides the framework for the provision of the required training courses under the scheme.

Farmers who entered the five-year scheme in 2023 can avail of an ACRES training course mid-way through their participation to get information on the ongoing management of their land in ACRES.

ACRES requires all participants to attend a mandatory training course in their first year of participation.

The content of these voluntary courses will be different from the mandatory course ACRES participants had to attend in their first year, but the format of the course will be the same.

While the voluntary course is only available to tranche 1 participants this year, tranche 2 participants will be able to avail of it in 2026, as that will be their third year in the scheme.

Minister Heydon said: "More than 97% of all ACRES participants are now fully paid in respect of their participation in the scheme in 2023 and 2024 and, for those in receipt of results-based payments, this is an opportunity for them to learn more about the scorecards used to assess their lands when scoring and to learn about ways to improve overall score.

"For those in the ACRES Co-operation approach, it is also a timely opportunity for them to get information on Non-Productive Investments and Landscape Actions which may also assist them to improve the overall score of their holdings.

"I encourage tranche 1 farmers to contact an approved ACRES trainer, a list of whom is available on my department’s website, to arrange attendance at a voluntary ACRES training course," the minister added.