Dáil Éireann Debate, Tuesday - 21 November 2023
395. Deputy Jackie Cahill asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the reason an applicant must have filed BPS for 2022 in order to qualify for ACRES (details supplied); if he will consider amending this condition for ACRES; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [50679/23]
View answerThe Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme, or ACRES, is the central agri-environment climate measure in Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023-2027. It is a flagship agri-environmental project with funding of €1.5bn committed over the scheme lifetime. This is the largest amount ever committed to an agri-environment scheme. ACRES will play a huge role in driving environmental improvements while also providing crucial income support to farm families.
The Tranche 2 Overview Document was published on my Department's website last September to give farmers and advisors an early insight into the application requirements. This document, and other key information on Tranche 2, is available at gov.ie - Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) (www.gov.ie).
One of the eligibility requirements outlined in the Tranche 2 Overview Document is the submission of a Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) application for 2022. A further requirement is that all lands must also be declared in the applicant’s 2023 Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) application and declared on the applicant’s BISS application for all subsequent years of participation. A farmer who does not have a BPS 2022 and BISS 2023 application will not therefore be eligible for Tranche 2 of ACRES.
The processing of applications and scheme payments requires data inputs from other areas of my Department. One of the critical data sources for the administration of ACRES is the Basic Payment Scheme data. To ensure the delivery of Tranche 2 in line with the committed timeframe the most complete data set was required early in the planning process. This information enables my Department to determine which stream each applicant is allocated, i.e. ACRES General or ACRES Co-Operation, and to allow IT system development. The most complete data set available at the time of system development was the 2022 BPS data, making this a necessary requirement in relation to eligibility for ACRES.
