Minister Heydon Announces Opening of Claims System for ACRES Non-Productive Investments
- Published on: 15 July 2025
- Last updated on: 15 July 2025
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, has announced that the claims system for Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) participants who are deploying Non-Productive Investments (NPIs) will open this Thursday, 17 July. NPIs are complementary actions available under the ACRES Co-operation approach that support farmers to take a tailored approach to benefitting nature on their farms, and are a unique feature of ACRES.
Making the announcement, Minister Heydon said:
“Claims for payment for ACRES Co-operation participants with NPIs may now be submitted in respect of both 2023 and 2024. Farmers may lodge their own claims or engage an advisor to do so. These actions are an integral element of ACRES, supporting farmers to enhance environmental outcomes on their holdings, thereby increasing their ACRES payments.”
The Minister added:
“Almost 4,300 applicants received approval for actions in the 2023 scheme year, and it is heartening to see this number increased to approximately 4,800 in 2024. The third application window will open later this quarter and I encourage farmers to continue to avail of the funding available to them through NPIs. Farmers in ACRES, and particularly those in high-priority geographical areas, have consistently shown their commitment to environmental protection and enhancement. I am greatly encouraged by the level of interest shown by participants in availing of these actions which, when complete, will improve biodiversity, protect endangered species, and improve water quality. I note the most popular actions include the installation of gates to prevent over- and under-grazing, the provision of boxes to provide nesting sites for threatened species such as Barn Owls or Kestrels, and the installation of water troughs which assist watercourse protection along with providing drinking points for livestock.”
The closing date for submission of claims is noted on the NPI decision letters for the respective year of application. Payments for submitted claims will start to issue by early October at the latest.
In preparation for the opening of the claims system the Department will hold a short, live webinar on 17 July 2025 at 10am to demonstrate the claims process.
Minister Heydon concluded:
“My Department continues to engage with advisors and participants to manage all elements of ACRES, and I encourage everyone to avail of the resources available on my Department’s website in relation to NPIs, including the upcoming webinar on Thursday, 17 July and the specification documents which have been developed in conjunction with the ACRES CP teams.”
Notes to Editors
Manuals for farmers and advisors to lodge NPI claims will be available on the Department website on 17 July.
ACRES NPI Claims System - Webinar
The Department will hold a short, live webinar on 17 July 2025 at 10am to demonstrate the claims process. Register for the webinar here.
About ACRES
The Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) is the agri-environment climate measure under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027.
The Scheme is jointly funded by the European Union and the national exchequer.
There are two approaches within the Scheme:
- ACRES General, available nationally (outside of the high priority geographical area as defined for the ACRES Co-operation approach below), which offers a range of measures (both prescription and result-based); and
- ACRES Co-operation, available to farmers in defined high priority geographical areas.
Non-Productive Investments in ACRES Co-operation approach
Participants in the ACRES Co-operation approach have the opportunity to apply for tailored Non-Productive Investments (NPIs).
A list of NPIs has been developed by the ACRES Co-operation Project (CP) teams in conjunction with the Department to assist with the delivery of environmental outputs/improvement at local level.
Participants have a budget of €17,500 each over the lifetime of their contracts. However, any participant who does not claim the full ACRES CP core payment of €7,000 will have any unclaimed amount added to their NPI budget.
ACRES Co-operation participants can apply for these investments annually. Applications, in the form of NPI Annual Work plans, are prepared and submitted by ACRES advisors on behalf of their clients.
The NPI category list and Specifications are published on the Department’s website at gov - Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) (www.gov.ie) which also has further information about where the relevant investments may be located, the amount of funding available and the associated payment rates.
An Information Sheet on NPIs is also available on the Department’s website.
The next window for eligible ACRES participants to apply for NPIs is expected to be in Q3 2025.
