The Department of Agriculture's Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) section released a circular this week notifying applicants that the portal is now open for completing the annual declaration for the low emissions slurry spreading (LESS) action.
The declaration may be completed via the agfood.ie system by an ACRES adviser on behalf of their client or by the ACRES participant themselves.
The Department advises that applicants who selected the LESS action are not required to enclose receipts, where applicable, when completing the form.
However, receipts must be retained by the participant with their record sheets and be made available for any inspection.
The LESS form must be completed on the portal by 31 December 2024.
The Department states that “failure to complete and submit the LESS return will result in a delay in making the 2024 ACRES advance payment and may result in the rejection of the LESS action from their ACRES application or further financial penalties where LESS was the only priority action on their ACRES application”.
LESS requirements
The Department circular also reminded participants that in relation to ACRES, the following requirements apply to the LESS action:
Holdings must have a grassland stocking rate of less than 100kg nitrogen per hectare from grazing livestock manure prior to export of livestock manure.All the slurry applied on the farm (produced and/or imported) must, for each year of the contract, be spread by one or a combination of band spreading, injection systems or trailing shoe.Pig slurry is not eligible for payment under this action. Only slurry produced on the holding (excluding pig slurry) is eligible for payment.Participants must retain - and provide if requested - documentary evidence to confirm the spreading method used and the volumes spread on the holding. For example, a calculation of the slurry produced, imported, spread and/or a receipt from the contractor or other evidence as required.The minimum volume of slurry that must be applied on the holding each year of the contract using one of the above listed methods is 50 cubic metres. For ease of calculation, one cubic metre is equal to 1,000 litres (220 gallons). The participant or their approved ACRES adviser must submit a completed annual slurry declaration return to the Department on the online portal.Only parcels with an eligible hectare >0 claimed on BISS 2024 will be available on the drop-down menu.Volume produced and volume imported must be entered in separate fields and at least one of the fields must be filled in.Multiple spread events on the same parcel can be input.
The Department of Agriculture's Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) section released a circular this week notifying applicants that the portal is now open for completing the annual declaration for the low emissions slurry spreading (LESS) action.
The declaration may be completed via the agfood.ie system by an ACRES adviser on behalf of their client or by the ACRES participant themselves.
The Department advises that applicants who selected the LESS action are not required to enclose receipts, where applicable, when completing the form.
However, receipts must be retained by the participant with their record sheets and be made available for any inspection.
The LESS form must be completed on the portal by 31 December 2024.
The Department states that “failure to complete and submit the LESS return will result in a delay in making the 2024 ACRES advance payment and may result in the rejection of the LESS action from their ACRES application or further financial penalties where LESS was the only priority action on their ACRES application”.
LESS requirements
The Department circular also reminded participants that in relation to ACRES, the following requirements apply to the LESS action:
Holdings must have a grassland stocking rate of less than 100kg nitrogen per hectare from grazing livestock manure prior to export of livestock manure.All the slurry applied on the farm (produced and/or imported) must, for each year of the contract, be spread by one or a combination of band spreading, injection systems or trailing shoe.Pig slurry is not eligible for payment under this action. Only slurry produced on the holding (excluding pig slurry) is eligible for payment.Participants must retain - and provide if requested - documentary evidence to confirm the spreading method used and the volumes spread on the holding. For example, a calculation of the slurry produced, imported, spread and/or a receipt from the contractor or other evidence as required.The minimum volume of slurry that must be applied on the holding each year of the contract using one of the above listed methods is 50 cubic metres. For ease of calculation, one cubic metre is equal to 1,000 litres (220 gallons). The participant or their approved ACRES adviser must submit a completed annual slurry declaration return to the Department on the online portal.Only parcels with an eligible hectare >0 claimed on BISS 2024 will be available on the drop-down menu.Volume produced and volume imported must be entered in separate fields and at least one of the fields must be filled in.Multiple spread events on the same parcel can be input. 
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