1,700 farmers in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) have yet to complete their rare breeds submission.

The Conservation of Rare Breeds action under the agri-environmental scheme aims to retain and where possible, increase populations of specific rare breeds species.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) previously announced that the annual declaration for the rare breeds action can now be completed for 2024.

The department said that all claims should be submitted as soon as possible and no later than November 15, 2025.

The declaration, to be made on the ACRES Rare Breeds online portal on the AgFood system, can be completed by either the ACRES adviser or by the farmer themselves.

ACRES

Under the terms of ACRES, payment for this action is made in arrears based on the monthly average livestock units of owned registered animals over the previous recording year.

DAFM said that the payment for the 2024 claim will form part of the 2025 balance payment, which is due to issue in the second quarter of 2026.

In order to make the claim, the following information will be required:

Proof of membership of the relevant breed society;
Identification documents and certificates issued by the relevant breed society for each registered animal.

To be eligible for the Conservation of Rare Breeds action, participants must have at least 0.10 Livestock Unit (LU) eligible for payment each year.

The department said that a guide for the submission of this claim is available on the ACRES webpage.