The Agri-Climate Environment Scheme (ACRES) is Ireland’s flagship agri-environment scheme under the CAP Strategic Plan 2023 – 2027. It will pay farmers €1.5 billion over its lifetime, which is the largest sum ever committed to an agri-environment scheme in Ireland. I am delighted to have approved over 46,000 farmers for entry to the scheme earlier this year.
A key feature of ACRES is the introduction of a results-based system that rewards farmers for committed environmental effort by linking payments to the quality of environmental outcomes delivered.
Participants in the ACRES eight Cooperation Project (CP) Zones will receive results-based payments, whereas those in the ACRES General stream could have chosen results-based actions on application. All these lands will be scored over the summer months, by approved ACRES advisors, who have completed the mandatory in-field scorecard training.
Farmers can use any approved ACRES advisor to submit these scorecards and my Department has developed a phone app (AgriSnap) to streamline the submission of scorecards. Scorecards are being submitted daily by advisors.
Scoring of land at the correct time of the year is an integral part of the results-based payment model and is essential to ensure the correct payment rate is assigned to the land in question. It is essential that all lands are scored by 31st August 2023 to ensure the best period for scoring and to ensure payments can be delivered in November 2023.
