Agriculture/Livestock News

Proposed payment rates for next year’s ACRES programme

ACRES Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme

The ACRES programme comes into effect from January 2023 as part of the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). This substitutes the Green, Low-Carbon Agri-Environment Scheme (GLAS). Under the new Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), farmers can expect payment rates of over €1,000/ha for some general actions, Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) documents show.

Figures indicate a rate of €1,047/ha/year proposed for the environmental management of arable fallow (up to 5ha); creating a winter bird food plot will be rewarded with €1,000/ha/year (up to 3ha); and a maximum €2,514 can be expected for creating a 0.5ha tree belt for ammonia capture from farmyards. These potential payment rates are part of the revised CAP Strategic Plan which requires European Commission approval.

Results-based actions under the ACRES General approach will be rewarded with a payment based on a scorecard. Assessed fields are given a score out of 10, under which farmers can receive payments of up to €400/ha for the management of low-input grassland, as well as low-input peat grassland.

Scheme participants taking the low-input grassland action will potentially be able to apply for a late bonus payment of €50/ha on meadows cut between July 1 and August 31.   

Also, the administration of intensive grassland next to a watercourse will be rewarded with €502/ha/year (up to 5ha), while €1.20/m3/year can be received for the low-emission slurry spreading (LESS) action (up to a maximum payment ceiling).

Farmers undertaking results-based actions under the co-operation measure on grassland, peatland or scrubland can receive a maximum payment of €400/ha, while farmers already in the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) can receive €150/ha.

For more information about ACRES, see here.

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