Approvals commence issuing to farmers in agri-environment scheme ACRES Tranche 2

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue T.D, has today confirmed that the issuing of approvals under Tranche 2 of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) has commenced.

Making the announcement, the Minister said:

"Following my confirmation last month that all valid applications for Tranche 2 of ACRES would be accepted, I am very pleased to announce that the issuing of approval letters has now commenced to more than 2,300 ACRES Co-operation applicants. As the priority is for farmers to know as soon as possible whether their application has been accepted, the notification will be available on AgFood accounts in the first instance today, with formal letters to follow shortly. Approvals in respect of valid applications for the ACRES General approach are expected to commence in the coming days."

Minister McConalogue added:

"The issue of approvals for Tranche 2 of ACRES will bring the total number in the Scheme to 55,000. This represents a 10% increase in the level of participation over what was originally envisaged, which is an immensely positive reflection of the level of farmer interest in agri-environmental and climate measures, and will, for example, mean that an additional area of approximately 100,000 hectares will be brought into meaningful environmental action. I was therefore delighted to have been able to accommodate all applicants."

Referring to the ACRES Co-operation approvals, the Minister advised that the next step in the process is the assignment of scorecards - by the ACRES Co-operation Project (CP) Teams in their respective zones - to the relevant holdings to enable the scoring of lands by advisors during the summer months.

Concluding, the Minister said:

"While the participants themselves are responsible for the management of lands and the delivery of actions under ACRES, CP Teams and agricultural advisors play key roles in the implementation of the Scheme, and I look forward to their continued contribution to the successful delivery of ACRES."

Notes for Editors

The EU's common agricultural policy (CAP) is a partnership between society and agriculture that ensures a stable supply of food, safeguards farmers' income, protects the environment and keeps rural areas vibrant. EU countries implement the CAP at national level with a CAP Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027.

The Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) is the agri-environment climate measure under Ireland's CAP Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027.

The Scheme is jointly funded by the European Union and the national exchequer.

There are two approaches within the Scheme:

o ACRES General, available nationally (outside of the high priority geographical area as defined for the ACRES Co-operation approach below), which offers a range of measures (both prescription and result-based); and

o ACRES Co-operation, available to farmers in defined high priority geographical areas.