Farmers in the co-operation stream of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) have had their 2023 non-productive investments (NPIs) approved, Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue has announced.

The 34,085 environmental actions approved by the Department of Agriculture for 4,148 farmers, were first applied for in 2023 and their approval has been long awaited by co-operation participants.

The NPI activities are aimed at enhancing environmental integrity and improving biodiversity and water quality.

Examples of the actions being undertaken include the installation of bat boxes and nest boxes for barn owls and kestrels, the erection of gates and electric fencing to prevent over and under grazing and the movement of water troughs to optimum locations.

The 4,148 farmers represent 96.7% of total NPI applicants. They will begin receiving confirmation today that their applications were successful or partially successful.

NPI action investments

Minister McConalogue said these NPI action investments are an integral element of ACRES “that support farmers to take specific measures to enhance environmental outcomes on their holdings and thereby increase their payments under the scheme”.

“The 34,085 actions being undertaken by farmers all around Ireland are vital to maintaining environmental integrity and increasing biodiversity,” he added.

Decision letters will be available on AgFood from today. Hard copies will issue by post in the coming days.

An ‘ACRES CP NPI-Annual works plan 2023 approval summary’ will also be uploaded on AgFood over the coming days, with the hard copies to issue in the post in January 2025.

This summary will give the details of the approved NPIs, and will include maps, by parcel, showing the location of approved NPIs on the holding.

The system to support the submission of claims and the processing of payments in respect of these approved investments will follow as early as possible in 2025, the Department said.

The 2024 application window for NPIs closed on 31 October 2024. The ACRES co-operation project teams have commenced the screening of these applications.

Meanwhile, following a Department-organised ACRES review meeting this week, Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA) rural development chair John Curran said the ball is now firmly in the Department’s court to deliver the real and substantive change that’s needed in the scheme.

“With ACRES we need to simplify the whole process. Improve lines of communication/transparency for farmers and ultimately deliver more money into the farmers’ pocket.

“The Department say they are aware and fully understand the frustrations among farmers with ACRES, particularly among those in co-operation areas.

“We all know the limitations of operating within the [European] Commission rulebook, but the Department of Agriculture need to be innovative and make tangible changes in the short-term for the benefit of farmers and the environment,” Curran said.

The rural development chair added that the IFA relayed again the huge frustration among farmers with the implementation of the scheme and offered a series of tangible and practical solutions.

Technical delays

“The Department needs to take responsibility and be upfront and honest with farmers. What we heard at the meeting was that most of the delays for most of the 3,000-odd tranche one applicants are because of IT issues on the Department side, nothing to do with the farmer at all,” Curran said

IFA Hill Farming chair Caillin Conneely said the next meeting of the group is in mid-January, but in the interim he would encourage any farmer with outstanding training - low-emission slurry spreading (LESS), soil sampling, rare breed requirements - to get it sorted sooner rather than later.

The next and last payment run of the year is next week, he added.