Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES)

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What is the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES)?

ACRES co-operation

ACRES general

How to qualify for ACRES General or ACRES Co-operation?

What is the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES)?

ACRES is Ireland’s new agri-environment climate scheme under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan. This new €1.5 billion flagship agri-environment scheme is a farmer-friendly scheme to help address biodiversity decline while delivering an income support for up to 50,000 farm families in Ireland.

The intake into ACRES (‘the Scheme’) will be phased, with at least two tranches.

All valid applications submitted for Tranche 1 were accepted into the Scheme, with the 1^st of January 2023 being the commencement date of the contracts.

The next step is that the successful applicants will receive an approval letter initially, with a more detailed summary approval to follow. The approval summary, which will show where actions have been mapped on the participant’s farm, will be posted to participants with a copy of the Farmland Plant Identification Guide, a booklet developed by the Department to help farmers in the scoring process.

It is proposed that the ACRES system will open in the third quarter of 2023 for applications for Tranche 2 of the Scheme.

What is the difference between ACRES General and ACRES Co-operation?

Both approaches require the preparation of a Farm Sustainability Plan to be completed and submitted by an ACRES advisor.

ACRES Co-operation

ACRES Co-operation is available to farmers in defined high priority geographical areas, and involves results-based payments as well as bespoke farm and landscape actions. Contracts have been awarded for the management of Co-operation Projects (CP), and farmers will be supported by new teams who will develop local action plans for their zones.

Map of each ACRES Co-operation zone and their corresponding Co-operation Projects (CP)

You may only apply for the ACRES Co-operation approach if you have 3 hectares or more declared as forage/habitat or 20% or more of your farm holding declared as forage/habitat in the 2021 Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) within the ACRES Co-operation area (see colour coded map above).

What is the ACRES Co-operation Project?

The ACRES Co-operation Project (ACRES CP) uses a qualitative approach whereby all forage land included in the scheme will be assessed using results-based score cards with incentives in place to increase scores and improve the landscape being farmed. 

Results-based payments will be available on forage land that is located within the CP Zone and on commonage land.  All forage land within the predefined CP Zone will be identified according to three main habitat types: Grassland, Peatland and Woodland/Scrubland. 

Each habitat type has a corresponding score card which can be used to assess the ecological integrity of the habitat.  CP Teams may also design additional bespoke score cards or have variations to existing score cards for certain land types/conservation targets within their respective CP Zone. 

A list of relevant Non-productive Investments (NPIs) and Landscape Actions (LAs) will be available to each CP Zone in each year of the contract.  An ACRES CP participant can undertake non-productive investments and/or landscape actions each year.  Any proposed non-productive investment or landscape action must be submitted in advance to the participant’s Co-operation Project team (CP Team) for screening and approval before any work is undertaken.  The participant must comply with the conditions set down in the approval of NPIs and LAs by the Co-operation Project team and with the Terms and Conditions of ACRES.

Applicants with land in more than one CP Zone

There will be applicants who will have land in more than one of the eight CP Zones.  Where an applicant has land in more than one CP Zone, that applicant is assigned to the CP Team where the largest proportion of their lands are located.  All lands located within any of the CP Zones may be eligible for results-based payments, non-productive investments, and landscape actions. 

Applicants with land both inside and outside the CP Zone

If funds are available, after funding is ring-fenced for the High Nature Value forage lands located within the CP Zone and for all commonage lands farmed, ACRES CP applicants may choose from the full list of general actions on the lands that are located outside the CP Zone and from a defined list of general actions on land located within the CP Zone.  

• ACRES CP applicants can only choose Conservation of Rare Breeds, Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) and Traditional Dry-Stone Wall Maintenance as general actions on land within the CP Zone.  

In quarter 1 and quarter 2 of year 1 (2023 for Tranche 1), for each approved ACRES CP participant, the CP Teams will assess all land parcels in the CP Zone that were declared in each ACRES CP applicant’s 2022 BPS and they will identify the land parcels/fields that are eligible to be scored using results-based scorecards and eligible to potentially receive results-based payments.  ACRES Scorecards can be viewed here.

It is mandatory for each ACRES CP participant to include all owned forage land parcels as declared in 2022 BPS application in their ACRES contract

CP applicants may also include rented or leased forage parcels within the CP Zone for results-based payments once those parcels were claimed in the applicant’s 2022 BPS and will continue to be farmed and claimed in the applicant’s BISS application for each year of the ACRES contract.

A score card must be submitted by the applicant’s ACRES advisor in year 1 of the ACRES contract for each owned forage land parcel/field that has been identified by the CP Team to be scored and for each rented or leased land parcel/field that is being included in the ACRES contract.  A score card must also be submitted for these parcels/fields in years 3 and 5 of the ACRES contract.  Failure to submit score cards for all contract lands may result in penalties or exclusion from the scheme.

Payments for ACRES CP participants will be prioritised in the following order:

1. All commonage
2. CP Zone results-based payments
3. General actions

ACRES Co-operation – Rates of Payment

Co-operation offers a maximum of €10,500 a year with a maximum results-based payment of €7,000 with an extra non-productive investment and landscape maximum of €3,500. The level of payment will be determined by results-based scorecards, non-productive investments, and landscape actions, which will be designed for land-types and region.ACRES scorecards can be viewed here.

ACRES General

Acres General is available nationally (outside of the high priority geographical area defined for the ACRES Co-operation approach) and offers a range of actions for individual farmers, both targeted and general.

You may only apply for ACRES General if your holding falls outside of the high priority geographical area as defined for the ACRES Co-operation approach. 

What actions are needed in the Acres General to get Priority Tier 1?

If you choose any one or more of the following actions below, where relevant to your farm, your application will be considered for Tier 1.

Acres scorecards can be viewed here.

Private Natura Sites Grassland

If an applicant has at least 0.5ha of land within the Natura (SAC/SPA) mapped area in 2021, they may be eligible for Tier 1 priority entry to the General scheme. One of the actions a. or b. must be selected on an area intersecting the Natura mapped area to be considered.

• Low input grassland
• Extensively grazed pasture 

Private Natura Sites Tillage 

If an applicant has at least 0.5 ha of land within Natura (SAC/SPA) mapped area in 2021, they may be eligible for Tier 1 priority entry to the General scheme. One of the actions a. b. or c. must be selected on an area intersecting the Natura mapped area to be considered. 

1. Unharvested cereal headlands
2. Winter bird food
3. Environment management of arable fallow 

Commonage 

If an applicant has at least 0.5 ha of commonage land declared on the 2021 BPS, they may be eligible for Tier 1 priority entry to the General scheme.

Geese and Swans 

If an applicant has at least 0.5 ha of land within the Geese and Swan mapped area in 2021, they may be eligible for Tier 1 priority entry to the General scheme if they select the Geese and Swans action.

Breeding Waders

If an applicant has at least 0.5 ha of land within the Breeding Wader hotspot mapped area in 2021, they may be eligible for Tier 1 priority entry to the General scheme. One of the actions a. b. or c. must be selected on an area intersecting the Breeding Wader Hotspot mapped area to be considered. 

1. Low input grassland
2. Extensively grazed pasture 
3. Environmental management of arable fallow 

Catchments identified as having High Status Water objectives 

If an applicant has at least 0.5 ha of land within the High-Status Water objective mapped area in 2021, they may be eligible for Tier 1 priority entry to the General scheme. At least one of the actions a. to h. (which are deemed appropriate as identified in the Farm Sustainability Plan) must be selected on an area intersecting the High-Status objective mapped area to be considered.

a. Riparian buffer strips or zones – grassland

b. Riparian buffer strips or zones – arable

c. Management of intensive grassland next to watercourse

d. Planting trees in riparian buffer zones

e. Planting new hedgerow

f. Low input grassland

g. Extensively grazed pasture

h. Environmental management of arable fallow

Conservation of Rare Breeds

If an applicant selects Conservation of Rare Breeds action and shows proof of membership of breed society at the time of application, they may be eligible for Tier 1 priority entry to the General scheme. 

Organic Farmers 

Organic Farmers can apply for the ACRES General approach under Tier 1 provided they are registered with and approved as an organic operator by one of the Organic Control Bodies

What actions are needed in the Acres General to get Priority Tier 2?

If the Tier 1 actions are not relevant, but you choose any one or more of the following actions as appropriate to your farm, your application will be considered for Tier 2.

ACRES scorecards can be viewed here.

1. Vulnerable Water Area

The vulnerable areas are defined as catchment areas to waterbodies identified as Areas for Action which have significant agricultural pressures.)

If a participant has at least 0.5 ha of land within the Vulnerable Water mapped area in 2021, they may be eligible for Tier 2 priority entry to the General scheme.

To be considered for priority access, at least one of the actions a. to h. (which are deemed appropriate as identified in the Farm Sustainability Plan) must be selected on an area intersecting the Vulnerable Water mapped area.

a. Riparian buffer strips or zones – grassland

b. Riparian buffer strips or zones – arable

c. Management of intensive grassland next to watercourse

d. Planting trees in riparian buffer zones

e. Planting new hedgerow

f. Low input grassland (results-based)

g. Extensively grazed pasture

h. Environmental management of arable fallow

2. Holdings that have a whole farm stocking rate exceeding 130kg livestock manure Nitrogen per hectare (NPH) or holdings with over 30 hectares of arable crops in 2021 

If an applicant (whether beef, dairy or sheep) has a whole farm stocking rate exceeding 130 kg livestock manure (NPH) in 2021 or has greater than 30 hectares of arable crops in 2021, they may be eligible for Tier 2 priority entry to the General scheme. To be considered for Tier 2 priority access, at least one of the listed actions a. to f. must be selected.

a. Minimum tillage (min 10ha)

b. Catch crops (min 6ha)

c. Over winter stubble (min 4ha)

d. Grass margins arable (min 500m)

e. Grass margins grassland (min 500m)

f. Low input peat grassland (min 0.5ha)

3. Native Woodland Establishment scheme or Agro-forestry scheme

If an applicant is a participant in the Native Woodland Establishment Scheme or Agroforestry GPC 11 at the time of application, they may be eligible for Tier 2 priority entry to the General scheme.

4. Tree Planting

If an applicant adopts at least one of the tree planting actions a. to c., they may be eligible for Tier 2 priority entry to the General scheme.

1. Tree planting (min 100 trees)
2. Planting trees in riparian buffer zones (min 10 trees)
3. Tree belts for ammonia capture from farmyards (min 0..18ha)

What actions are needed in the Acres General to get Priority Tier 3

If the Tier 1 actions are not relevant to your farm, and you do not wish to carry out the Tier 2 actions, you may choose any of the following actions and be considered for Tier 3. All potential Tier 1 and Tier 2 applicants can also choose to carry out General actions, where appropriate.

ACRES scorecards can be viewed here.

• Barn owl nest box
• Brassica fodder stubble
• Catch crops
• Commonage
• Conservation of rare breeds
• Coppicing of hedgerows
• Environmental management of arable fallow
• Extensively grazed pasture
• Geese and swans
• Grass margin arable
• Grass margin grassland
• Laying of hedgerows
• Low emissions slurry spreading
• Low input grassland (results-based)
• Low input peat grassland (results-based)
• Management of intensive grassland next to a watercourse
• Minimum tillage
• Planting a new hedgerow
• Planting a traditional orchard
• Planting trees in riparian buffer zones
• Tree planting
• Over winter stubble
• Protection and maintenance of archaeological monuments- arable/grassland
• Riparian buffer strip – arable
• Riparian buffer strip – grassland
• Riparian buffer zone – arable
• Riparian buffer zone – grassland
• Ryegrass seed set for birds
• Traditional dry stone wall maintenance
• Tree belts for ammonia capture from farmyards
• Unharvested cereal headlands
• Winter bird food plot
• Winter bird food strip

ACRES General – Rates of Payment

ACRES General offers a maximum of €7,311 a year. The level of payment a farmer may achieve will be determined by the payment rates for the actions selected and undertaken satisfactorily.

How to Qualify for ACRES General or ACRES Co-operation

Farmers can check the ACRES stream they are eligible for through agfood.ie , under the ‘ACRES Access Agreement’ button, or by texting on 50124 with the message ‘DAFM ACRES’ followed by your herd number.

To be eligible to participate in Tranche 1, an applicant must:

• Be aged 18 years or over on date of submission of the application.

• Be the holder of an active business identity. Herd ‘owner’ status is required. ‘Herd Keeper’ is not acceptable.

• Have all lands farmed declared in the applicant’s name on the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS).

• Have submitted a valid BPS 2021 application.

• All lands brought into the scheme must be declared in the applicant’s 2022 BPS and declared on the applicant’s Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) scheme application for all subsequent years of participation.

ACRES Specifications and Payment Rates Information Booklet

To see the full list of actions and specifications for farmers in ACRES as well as payment rates please click here.

How to Apply

You must engage an approved ACRES Advisor to make an application on your behalf. For the full list of approved ACRES advisors please click here.

You can use your existing BPS advisor or engage another qualified advisor if you wish.

Information on Agriculture Agents and what you need to do to engage one can be found here:  Information on Agriculture Agents

Terms and Conditions

For the full ACRES Terms and Conditions please click here.