Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 18 April 2023
1139. Deputy Michael Ring asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will investigate the reason his Department is stating that an application has not been received in respect of a person (details supplied) in County Mayo, in view of the fact the application was submitted on time, and that the agricultural advisor has proof that the plan aspect of the application was submitted; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [17622/23]
View answerTranche 1 of ACRES opened for applications on Monday 17th October 2022 and closed on Wednesday 7th December 2022. The closing was extended by two weeks to assist advisors and farmers in the preparation and submission of applications.
The ACRES application process was outlined to all ACRES advisors at ACRES advisor training which was attended by all ACRES advisors. The process was also outlined via ACRES Circular No 10/2022 dated November 9th 2022 which was sent as a reminder to all ACRES advisors. The process required advisors to undertake the following mandatory steps for each application
1. Submit an Expression of Interest;
2. Prepare and submit a Farm Sustainability Plan (FSP);
3. Complete and submit the ACRES application (to include relevant uploads, namely, the submission of valid soil sample results where available & proof of membership of a breed society if selecting Conservation of Rare Breeds action).
The ACRES team in my Department has completed an extensive search of the ACRES application system to trace the possible submission of an ACRES application on behalf of the person named. This search has confirmed that not all of the necessary steps were completed by the advisor. As the application process was not completed, no application was successfully submitted for this herd number.
The application window for Tranche 1 of ACRES has now closed, approvals have issued and no further applications can be submitted. The option to apply for Tranche 2 will be open to all eligible farmers. It is anticipated that Tranche 2 will open for applications later this year with contracts in that Tranche to commence from 1st January 2024.
