Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 9 May 2023
484. Deputy Sorca Clarke asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide clarity on the percentage of commanage that can be active turbary without negatively affecting the ACRES payment available to farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [21302/23]
View answerACRES is the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme and is an agri-environment climate measure in Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023-2027. There are two approaches within the Scheme:
- ACRES Co-operation, which applies in eight mapped zones, that are areas of high nature value, hold significant carbon stores and are home to some of the most pristine waters in the country, and
- ACRES General, for all other farmers not falling within the ACRES Co-operation zones.
Participants in ACRES commit to undertake, under their ACRES contract, certain actions for a period of five years. Commonage falls within both approaches and is a mandatory action for all ACRES participants with commonage land. Applicants with Commonage received priority entry into ACRES General under Tier 1 to incentivise farmers to help ensure that habitats on such lands are maintained or restored to good condition through appropriate management practices. There is a set payment per hectare for commonages of 10 hectares or less with a requirement for the submission for a Commonage Farm Plan prepared by certain advisors.There is a results-based payment associated with commonages of greater than 10 hectares which means that the payment rate for those is determined by the quality of habitat using a range of criteria assessing the ecological and hydrological integrity of the commonage and various damaging activities. This scoring work on commonages, to ascertain the quality, will be undertaken at no cost to the farmer.
I am conscious that active turf-cutting could have a disproportionate impact on the scores of commonages and I am currently examining how to mitigate the negative impact of smaller severely damaged areas on the wider commonage parcel.
