ACRES for Sheep

Eamon Patten, Drystock Advisor, Teagasc Ballinrobe

ACRES (Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme) is the new Agri-Environment scheme currently being introduced as a replacement for GLAS. There will be two different streams to this scheme namely ACRES General and ACRES Co-Operation. Farmer participation is voluntary and farm location will determine which stream to access. The Co-Op scheme operates in eight defined high priority geographical areas as in map below. Some of these would cover extensive areas of sheep farming country.

The ACRES General will be similar in operation to GLAS with entry again on a tiered basis depending on demand. Applications in Tier 1 (e.g. Commonage, Natura lands, Rare Breeds) will receive priority access over Tier 2 applications (e.g. vulnerable Water area), which in turn will receive priority access over Tier 3 (General Actions) applications. There is a whole suite of actions that will be available for payment.

The Co Op approach is more focused on Results Based scoring as operated in the pilot REAP scheme. This is where the payment is based on the condition of a field/habitat rather than a set payment. Farmers in the Co Op areas will have all their land scored for payments. Scoring is based on scorecards listing positive and negative indicators in a field. The scoring area will include the commonage. The only actions allowed in Co OP that are common to the General ACRES Scheme are Stonewall Maintenance, Rare Breeds or Low Emission Slurry. In addition it is proposed to introduce NPI (Non Productive Investments) in these areas with additional payments.

In the General Scheme there are numerous actions to choose from but for sheep farmers the two main area based actions are Extensive Grazing and Low Input Grassland which are a mix of the old and new methods on which payment will be determined.

Extensive Grazing is older pastures with less than 30% ryegrass and there must be grazing livestock on the holding. Ploughing, cultivation, reseeding or any drainage works are not permitted. Limiting factors for participants are the total maximum applied Nitrogen allowed of 40kgs/Ha (32 units/acre) as inorganic or organic fertiliser per year plus the requirement to fence of watercourses if cattle graze these fields. These are just a few of the conditions to be observed in order to draw down a set payment of €250/ha.

Low Input Grassland (LIG) is to reward farmers for farming grassland extensively which maximises the other services the field provides to nature, water quality and climate. This is a result-based measure meaning that the field is assessed or scored to see how ‘good’ (or bad it is)! A large range of species will give a higher positive mark however there could be negative marks if the field is  overgrown, weeds, ryegrass or has poaching damage. If a field is cut for hay later in year it could qualify for an extra €50/ha. Under this regime the payment/ha could be nil up to the maximum of €450/ha for a very ‘nature friendly’ hay field. Note that this payment can vary from year to year depending on the score. With continuous sheep grazing the score can fall due to animals selective eating out the positive indicators. The good news is that some farms may have areas that qualify for both the extensive grazing and LIG on separate areas.

Example of scorecard

At time of writing the scheme is not yet open for submission of applications but current indications are it will be a Tranche approach like GLAS and final details could still change. The overall scheme looks quite complex but on a single farm it should be straightforward to implement the actions if chosen correctly.  ACRES as proposed has the underlying principle of having “the right measure in the right place”.  There are many positives for all, and it will be a pity to spoil these opportunities for environmental improvements by limiting the application timeframe period. Correct decision making and planning is required as ACRES will be a five year contract!

High scoring LIG

Possible Late Meadow Payment –LIG