My Department’s agri-environment scheme under the CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027, ACRES, has been designed and developed using the learnings from the Burren Programme, and from other projects including the European Innovation Partnership (EIP) initiative.
The core feature of the Co-operation element of ACRES is the mainstreaming of a habitats- and results-based approach, leveraging the positive actions from programmes like the Burren Programme and other EIPs into a large-scale agri-environment scheme, in order to deliver a much larger environmental benefit. Using a habitats-based approach, the Scheme will contribute to improving biodiversity, climate, air, and water quality outcomes.? ?
The Burren Programme had a participation rate of just over 300 farmers.? In ACRES, over 1,000 farmers to date, representing a 300% increase, are participating in the ACRES Burren Aran Co-operation (CP) Zone. Increasing farmer participation numbers to this level requires a balance to be struck to ensure that as many farmers as possible can join - thereby increasing the amount of land covered - while ensuring the achievement of the maximum possible additional environmental benefit.
Under the Burren Programme, 11,000 hectares of species-rich habitats were assessed, whereas it is expected that over 40,000 hectares of high-nature value farmland will be assessed under ACRES CP in the Burren Aran area. This represents a significant upscaling in environmental monitoring and assessment in the region.
Results-based payments will form the core payment paid to participants in ACRES in the Burren area. The land was scored over the summer months, using a range of 10 scorecards specifically designed for ACRES. Officials of my Department worked closely with the CP Team in the Burren Aran region, along with the other seven teams, to develop the scorecards. The scores achieved in all the CP Zones are currently being processed, with an analysis of the scores to commence once payments are substantially underway.
In addition to this, a selection of Non-productive Investments (NPIs) has been made available to ACRES CP participants. NPIs can be used to improve field scores - thereby also improving payments - and to support habitats and species. It is open to participants in all Co-operation Project areas to discuss NPIs with their approved ACRES advisors, who may draw and save NPIs in participants’ Annual Works Plans ahead of shortly submitting the plans.
The strong interest expressed by Burren farmers in applying to join ACRES means the learnings gained from the Burren Programme and other EIP projects can be applied to a greater number of farms.? The broader reach of the new Scheme will therefore contribute to improving biodiversity, climate, air and water quality over a greater area of the Burren and Aran Islands.
