Press release
Minister McConalogue provides update on ACRES Scorecards
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, today provided an update on scorecards received by his department as part of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).
Announcing the update to the status of scorecards Minister McConalogue said:
“I am delighted with the number of completed scorecards received by my department with the submission rate now above 98%. Results-based payments and the use of scorecards is a fundamental element of ACRES to award the environmental ambition across farms in Ireland. In total over 170,000 scorecards were issued across 10 scorecard types.”
The Minister said:
“Ireland is leading the way in delivering a national results-based scheme, with over 25% of all agricultural production land now scored. Farmers in Ireland are now being recompensed for the high quality of their habitats. This is a reflection of the investment and commitment by farmers to enhancing environmental conditions and ecosystem services for all. For example, ACRES will deliver over 500,000 trees, over 2,000 kms of hedgerows and the data from the scorecards will provide us all with an important baseline for the status of the ecological condition of our land.”
The Minister continued:
“These scorecards are a valuable resource and key to informing our farmers on how to maintain and improve the quality of the habitats in our farmed landscape.
"The success of ACRES and the delivery of enhanced ecosystems services is reflective of a collective and collaborative approach by all stakeholders, including farmers, advisors, CP teams, my department and across Government.”
The Minister acknowledged the effort that approved ACRES advisors had put into scoring lands over the past number of months as well as the work carried out by the ACRES Co-operation Project (CP) Teams in late spring, assigning scorecards to habitats in the CP Zones.
In conclusion the Minister noted:
“Completed scorecards were received daily, and I provided an extension to the end September to ensure that we are in the best position possible to commence ACRES payments later this year which are on track. My officials are now actively following up with advisors on any technical issues raised on scorecards yet to be submitted. Cases that clear all payment validations will be included in the first payment run. Cases not meeting all the validation requirements, including scorecard checks, will be reviewed on a weekly basis and paid once outstanding issues are resolved."
The Minister also drew attention to the recent publication of the list of proposed Non-Productive Investments (NPIs) for which participants in the ACRES Co-operation approach may apply. These NPIs are also a key part of the toolbox for farmers to better manage their lands and may in turn result in higher scores being achieved which should consequently increase their annual results-based payment.
Comprehensive information in relation to ACRES is available on the department’s website at: gov.ie - Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) (www.gov.ie).
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 CP Teams assigned one of 10 scorecards to the relevant habitats in late spring, with the system opening to advisors to complete scoring in early June.