Dáil Éireann Debate, Thursday - 3 July 2025
93. Deputy Erin McGreehan asked the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine when farmers will have the opportunity to avail of landscape actions and carry out works in upland co-operation areas under ACRES; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36363/25]
View answerThe Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme or ACRES is Ireland’s national agri-environment climate measure provided under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027. The Government has committed €1.5 billion to the scheme over its duration, the largest amount ever allocated to an agri-environment scheme. There are currently some 54,000 participants, with intake approved into the Scheme in two tranches. There are two separate approaches within the scheme, ACRES General and ACRES Co-Operation.
Landscape Actions are targeted measures within the Co-Operation approach of the scheme which focus on issues such as invasive species management, encroaching scrub, threatened species and water quality thereby offering benefits to the local environment. Participants in the ACRES Co-Operation approach will be aided by their local ACRES Co-Operation Team in relation to the recommendation of, and application for, appropriate Landscape Actions that are suitable and relevant to their local area. The Co-Operation team will create and submit a Landscape Action Annual Works Plan on behalf of the participant. This plan will then be screened by the Co-Operation Team prior to approval.
A process involving an appropriate assessment, public consultation, budgeting, drafting specifications and development of functionality must be undertaken before the opening of the Landscape Actions application window. This process is progressing and it is expected that the application window will open in the coming weeks. This would facilitate the issuing of decision letters later in 2025 with payments expected to issue in 2026. A provisional list of draft Landscape Actions along with further information is available on the Department website.
Further details will be provided in due course.
