Rollout of landscape actions set for summer

It will be this summer before the final list of landscape actions for Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) is rolled out, the Department of Agriculture has confirmed.

In response to questions from the Irish Farmers Journal, the Department said it will be the first or second quarter of the year before the actions are approved.

“Preparatory work ahead of the introduction of landscape actions is ongoing, and will include specification and costing of actions, as well as the carrying out of an appropriate assessment, as required under environmental legislation,” the Department stated.

A provisional list of draft landscape actions was published on the Department’s website in October 2024.

The proposed actions are divided into four categories:

The provisional list includes measures such as: the removal of invasive species, for example Japanese knotwood and rhododendron; actions to help endangered species, such as the lesser horseshoe bat and corncrake; rebuilding of stone walls; and the creation of small dams to slow the flow of water from drains on the hills.

With regard to non-productive investments (NPIs), the Department claimed that more than 4,000 farmers are now in a position to implement approved actions.

“In relation to [the] uptake of non-productive investments (NPIs), which are actions available to participants in the co-operation approach of ACRES, 4,288 participants applied for NPIs in 2023,” the Department stated. “Decisions in respect of NPI applications submitted in 2023 were issued in December 2024, with 4,148 applications either fully or partially approved,” the Department maintained.

Since up to €3,500 per applicant per year – or €17,500 in total – is available for NPIs and landscape actions, the farm organisations have been highly critical of the delay in rolling out these ACRES measures.