All valid applications to ACRES will be accepted

The Minster for Agriculture, Food and the Marie, Charlie McConalogue yesterday announced that all valid applicants to the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (Acres) will be accepted into tranche 1 of the scheme.

With over 46,000 applications, the Minister said: "Farmers have shown their desire to enhance the environmental sustainability of their enterprises through their enthusiasm for the CAP Strategic Plan’s flagship environmental programme. Farmers have shown that they are ready and willing to play their part and both I and the Government are backing those ambitions.

“I want to harness that enthusiasm and deliver the maximum possible environmental benefit. It will be challenging, and it will require intensive and focused effort from all concerned - from my Department, from advisors, from Co-operation Project Teams and from farmers - but I look forward to working with everyone to achieve that objective.”

Formal letters of approval are expected to be sent to successful applicants over the coming days and weeks, with farmers advised to wait until they receive their letters before contacting either the Department or their advisor.

The Minister noted that an approval summary, which will show where actions have been mapped on the participant’s farm, will also be sent to ACRES participants by the end of March, as well as a species identification booklet to help farmers identify the indicator species on their land to be used in the scoring process.

He also noted that, in order to accommodate the significantly higher-than-anticipated number of participants, access to the BISS application system for ACRES applicants will be made available on a gradual basis over the next few weeks, as approvals issue and as the required updates to mapping systems are made. This process is expected to be completed by the end of the month.