Details of the next major agricultural environmental plan to replace GLAS in 2023 were revealed by the Ministry of Agriculture last week.
scheme, Agricultural Climate Rural Environment Scheme (“ACRES”) became known as a fundamental departure from previous schemes such as REPS with stricter eligibility requirements and more annoying behavior required on farms.
Any qualified farmer anywhere in the country has the opportunity to participate in this project.
The ACRES consists of two components. The first is a nationally available general option and the second is a collaborative project option available to farmers in defined high priority geographic areas.
Here are some of the key factors that affect farmers.
Eligibility
This scheme is open to all active farmers in the country.
To qualify for higher payments, farmers need to have land with higher environmental priorities.
Access to the scheme is determined through a ranking and selection process.
Priority access is provided to organic farmers, farmers with priority assets, and farmers who have agreed to take certain priority actions.
List of proposed actions under the general public An overview of ACRES can be found here.
These are indicators and are subject to change based on stakeholder consultation and feedback.
Tier 1: Priority environmental assets (“PEA”)
All farmers with PEA have top priority access to each tranche scheme.
If your farm property contains any of the following Preferred Environmental Assets (PEA), you must indicate this:
In addition, to qualify for Tier 1, Applicants must ensure that they complete all / all relevant required actions related to PEA according to the following list.
⬤ Private Natura (Low Input Grassland Scorecard Action)
⬤ Common Age Land (result-based common age scorecard applies)
⬤ Goose and swan area (goose and swan behavior)
⬤ The EPA has designated a Priority Action Area (PAA) (no mandatory action, but action that suits the needs of the region identified in the Sustainable Agriculture Plan).
Registered organic farmers are eligible for priority access under this tier, but if the farm has PEA, you will need to take appropriate action from the list above.
Commitments made under the organic farming scheme are not eligible for payment under AECM. To qualify for payment, organic farmers must perform common AECM actions according to the requirements set by other farmers.
Tier 2: Priority environmental behavior
For applicants:
⬤ Farm-wide storage rates (whether beef, dairy or sheep) exceed 130 kg of livestock manure nitrogen per hectare (ha) produced on the land.
⬤ There are more than 30 hectares (ha) of cultivable crops, or
⬤ If you do not have priority environmental assets but your land contains vulnerable waters and you wish to be considered under Tier 2, you should take at least one of the following mandatory actions: I have.
⬤ Minimum cultivation
⬤ Catch crops
⬤ Winter bird food (livestock farms ›130 kg of organic nitrogen per hectare only)
Applicants may also be considered under Tier 2 if they employ at least one of the tree planting activities.
⬤ Tree planting — — In a row, group or park
⬤ Trees are planted in the buffer zone on the banks of the river
⬤ A tree belt for capturing ammonia on the farm.
Tier 3: General actions
These actions at Tier 3 are aimed at addressing the benefits of climate change, water quality and biodiversity.
These can be selected in addition to or alone in the required Tier 1 or Tier 2 actions. [R] Shows the rotation operation.
Behavior suitable for cultivated land / temporary grassland
⬤ Winter bird food (margin or entire field) [R]
⬤ Unharvested grain headland [R]
⬤ Winter stubble [R]
⬤ Grass margin — Cultivable environmental management of cultivable fallow land Minimum tillage (minimum tillage) / No-tillage (non-tillage) [R]
⬤ Catch crops [R]
⬤ Forage crops of the genus Brassica [R]
Behavior suitable for grassland
⬤ Low input grassland (result basis)
⬤ Grass margin — — Grassland Multiple Species Ray (MSL) (Result Based)
Behavior suitable for intensive grasslands of organic N / ha over 130 kg
⬤ Bird ryegrass seed set [R]
⬤ Intensive grassland management adjacent to waterways
⬤ Stubble of Brassica feed [R] (Even on cultivated or mixed farms)
Field boundary action
⬤ Hedge rejuvenation
⬤ Coppicing
⬤ Hedge rejuvenation laying
⬤ Maintenance of traditional dry stone walls
⬤ Plant a new hedge tree
⬤ Planting activity
⬤ Tree planting – rows, groups, or green spaces
⬤ Plant trees in a waterside buffer zone
⬤ Tree belt for capturing ammonia on the farm
⬤ Resource protection action
⬤ Waterside buffer zone — — Cultivated / grassland riverbank buffer zone — — Cultivated land / grassland
⬤ Low input peat grassland
⬤ Conservation of heritage and genetic resource behavior
⬤ Protection and maintenance of archaeological sites
⬤ Preservation of rare varieties (results basis)
⬤ Plant a traditional orchard
Species-specific action
⬤ Barn owl box
Indicator behaviors proposed under the co-operative AECM
⬤ Greening bare land
⬤ Blocking drainage from peatlands
⬤ Water retention measures
⬤ Bridging
⬤ Embankment and embankment of soil
⬤ Providing wetlands / village ponds
⬤ Floodplain management
⬤ Open burning
⬤ Damaged grazing fuel / firebreak
⬤ Cutting the vehicle through scrub
⬤ Installation of a pond in the highlands
⬤ Providing drinking points
⬤ Evaluation of water pollution routes
⬤ Common management
⬤ Sensitive replenishment
⬤ Appropriate forest / forestry
⬤ Landslide management
⬤ Winter customs
⬤ Nitrate plans for individual farms
⬤ Improved access to farms
⬤ Practice of regenerative agriculture
⬤ Pond creation
⬤ Woodland Cops
⬤ Invasive species clearance and management
⬤ Dry stone wall maintenance
⬤ Conservation of traditional farm buildings
⬤ Protection of archaeological sites
⬤ Safer nesting site
⬤ Bird monitoring
⬤ Nest protection
⬤ Carbon-rich soil protection
Payments of up to 7,000 euros are proposed
Maximum payment rate under the general public is proposed ACRES will be € 7,000.
Choosing an action from the general list of available actions is open to farmers along with their advisors.
The average five-year payment for the scheme is around € 5,000 per year and can reach up to € 7,000.
The expected uptake under AECM General is estimated to be 30,000 farmers in at least two tranches.
The average payment under the collaborative project option ranges from € 7,400 and is expected to be up to € 10,000.
This includes paying for unproductive investments and landscape behavior.
Farmers, along with their advisers, will determine the actions they may take to raise their land scores and raise their payment levels.
Expected uptake below ACRES Co-Operation is estimated to be 20,000 farmers in many tranches.
