Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 7 November 2023
895. Deputy Claire Kerrane asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he will provide information on the total number of ACRES scorecards submitted in 2023; how many were submitted by 31 August 2023; how many were submitted by the extended deadline of 30 September 2023, in tabular form; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [47509/23]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme, or ACRES, is the central agri-environment climate measure in Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027, with funding of €1.5 billion committed over the scheme lifetime. This is the largest amount ever committed to an agri-environment scheme. A fundamental element of ACRES is the use of results-based payments to encourage and reward improved environmental outcomes on their farmlands.
In acknowledgement of the pressures faced by farm advisors in submitting scorecards for their clients’ farms by the original deadline of 31st August 2023, I extended the scoring deadline to 29th September 2023. I was delighted recently to announce that over 98% of all scorecards have been submitted to my Department. In total, more than 170,000 scorecards were issued across 10 scorecard types.
As requested by the Deputy, the number of scorecards submitted by the dates indicated are as follows:
|
Date |
Number of Scorecards Submitted |
|
31st August 2023 |
125,581 |
|
29th September 2023 |
166,875 |
