Your ACRES Plan – What to know now?
Type Media Article
Austin Callaghan, Drystock Advisor, Teagasc Claremorris
Many of the 46,000 farmers who applied for ACRES last November had their applications approved in late March. Once you were approved you were effectively a scheme participant since the 1st of January and the contracted period will run for 5 years until the 31st of December 2027.
At this stage you should have a good understanding of your plan and what actions you are completing. These actions were decided on prior to submitting the application. Very likely you met with you adviser again in recent weeks as you completed your BISS application. You would have discussed your ACRES plan and the actions you are now completing.
Note that applications and actions chosen are different on every farm, for various reasons. To note when the adviser was completing the application he/she had to deal with mapping layers be it Breeding Wader mapped areas , Geese and Swan mapped areas and CP zones. Other layers included high status water areas and vulnerable water areas. These dictated to a certain level what actions best suited the farm, as well as, the presence of watercourses or drains, land type and of the course the farmer’s willingness to complete certain actions or not. A good example would be hedgerow or tree planting.
So where now? Where you selected fencing Riparian Buffer Strips or Riparian Buffer Zones - Grassland, this fencing should now be completed as fencing had to be in place by the end of May. Fencing should be stock proof and should be fit to exclude sheep from the strips / zones where there are sheep on the farm.
If you selected Riparian Buffer Strips or Riparian Buffer Zones - Arable there is a requirement to sow a specified grass mix on these parcels by the 31st of August. When cultivating use minimum cultivation only. Ploughing isn’t permitted. Keep all seed labels and invoices on file for the duration of the ACRES contract.
For farmers sowing the Winter Bird Food, this crop should have been sown by the 31st of May. This is a 3 way mix of for example Oats / Linseed / Mustard. The sowing date was extended from the 15th of May. Again keep seed labels and invoices on file.
Where a farmer selected the action Owl Boxes these have to be in place by the end of July.
Many farmers will have selected Extensively Grazed Pasture. The specification on this is that there is a maximum Nitrogen application per annum of 40 Kgs per hectare. This limit includes nitrogen from organic fertilisers so for example if you apply slurry to these fields much of the nitrogen allowance is used. These fields cannot be topped or cut until after the 1st of July. Spraying is not permitted except for spot spaying of noxious weeds and weed licking of rushes. Rush control can only take place after the 1st of July. Where there are main watercourses in these extensively grazed pasture fields they must be fenced off 1.5 metres from the top of the bank where bovines are present.
The Low Input Grassland & Low Input Grassland – Peat actions require scoring of the fields by 31st August. The scoring will be on the vegetation structure with marks for good structure. There will be reduced or negative marks for under or over grazing. Marks are also awarded for the presence of positive indicator flower species and their abundance in the field. Negative marks may be awarded for the presence of docks and nettles for example. Also poaching or soil erosion which results in sediment losses to watercourse is negatively marked. If the field scores very poorly it may not be eligible for payment. To improve your score these lands should be farmed extensively and receive no chemical or organic fertilisers. These fields should never be sprayed. You are encouraged where possible to late cut hay or silage from these fields so as to reduce the nutrient status of the field. This will encourage a more diverse sward over time.
The action Stonewall Maintenance should be ongoing with selected walls maintained in good condition. Works in relation to hedgerow and tree planting actions must be completed by March 2024.
Where the farmer has enclosed lands in the Co – Operation (CP) areas these have to be scored as above for the grassland habitats. There are additional scorecards if the CP enclosed lands have different habitat types be it Peatland, Woodland / Scrub and Rough grazing for example.
Finally all ACRES participants are required to complete ACRES Training Courses by the end of 2023. Soil samples will need to be taken and uploaded by the 15th of May 2024.
Your ACRES plan may have different actions to what is outlined above. If you don’t fully understand your plan you need to discuss it and its implementation with your adviser / consultant.