Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 17 January 2024
1252. Deputy Niall Collins asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he can accept all the ACRES applications he received and not be limited to a certain quantity; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [1249/24]
Amharc ar fhreagraMore than 9,000 applications were received for Tranche 2 of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) by the 13 December 2023 closing date. As the funding provided in Budget 2024 facilitates the acceptance of approximately 4,000 applicants in order to bring the overall numbers in the Scheme up to 50,000, in line with Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027, it will not be possible to accept all of the ACRES Tranche 2 applications received.
Accordingly, a ranking and selection process will be undertaken. The selection criteria and marking system are explained in the Terms and Conditions for Tranche 2 of ACRES, which are available on my Department’s website. The guiding principle in framing those criteria is to maximise the contribution that ACRES can make to meeting a range of environmental, climate and biodiversity objectives and challenges.
The Government has committed €1.5 billion to ACRES over the duration of the scheme to facilitate the participation of 50,000 farmers. ACRES will not only play a huge role in driving environmental improvements, it will also provide crucial income support to farm families.
In Budget 2024, I increased the allocation for ACRES by €40 million, bringing the total 2024 scheme allocation to €200 million. The provision of this additional funding will allow us to deliver on the Government’s commitment to have 50,000 farmers participating in ACRES.
