The Area Monitoring System (AMS), which utilises satellite imagery, will be used to monitor compliance with seven actions in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) in 2025. The technology was used in 2024 to monitor compliance with two actions – namely extensively grazed pasture and winter bird food.

A further five actions have now been added, including brassica fodder stubble, catch crops, environmental management of fallow, riparian buffer zone (arable and riparian buffer zone) and grassland. The aspect of the actions monitored by AMS is summarised as follows:

  • Brassica fodder stubble: AMS will check for the establishment of this catch crop.
  • Catch crops: AMS will check for establishment of catch crop.
  • Environmental management of arable fallow: AMS will check for establishment of catch crop.
  • Extensively grazed pasture: AMS will check for mowing events during the restricted period: 15 March to 1 July.
  • Riparian buffer zone – arable: AMS will check for the presence of a grass crop and mowing events during the restricted period: 1 March to 31 August.
  • Riparian buffer zone – grassland: AMS will check for the presence of a grass crop and mowing events during the restricted period: 1 March to 31 August.
  • Winter bird food: AMS will check for establishment of winter bird food crop by 15 May. Establishment is critical for this action.

    • Parcels monitored by AMS will have colour coded results: green, yellow or red. The Department explains: “Parcels flagged by AMS as green and yellow indicate a degree of confidence that the land details in the farmer’s application has been verified by AMS and payments can be made.

    “However, a land parcel flagged by AMS as red indicates an error, which may result in a notification being issued to the applicant on their BISS online account, along with a request to submit geotagged photographs using Agrisnap.”

    Hedgerows need to be carefully managed including leaving individual thorn bushes. / Catherine Keena

    The Department adds that an error could include an ineligible crop sown to meet the requirements of a particular scheme, an incorrect crop declared on BISS (different to what AMS has identified on the ground) or the presence of an ineligible feature.

    “The notification can be followed up by on the ground checks by an inspector. Failure to respond to an AMS notification and to submit an Agrisnap may result in a delay to scheme payments.”

    Important dates for common actions

    Given the breath and range of actions in ACRES, there are too many dates or requirements to cover them all. However, the below actions are some of the most commonly selected actions and noteworthy dates and objectives.

    Extensively grazed pasture

    This action is one of the most commonly selected in the ACRES scheme. As mentioned here, one of the key criteria is refraining from mowing or topping between 15 March and 1 July.

    No pesticides or herbicides are allowed with the exception of spot spraying of noxious weeds or invasive alien species. Rushes can be controlled by topping, grazing, weed wiping or spot spraying after 1 July.

    Any watercourse must be fenced at least 1.5m from the top of the bank when bovines are present with drinking points not permitted.

    Low input grasslands

    Low-input grassland (LIG)/low-input peat grassland (LIPG) mown for hay or silage is eligible for a late meadow bonus payment of €50/ha.

    There are a number of requirements which must be satisfied to receive this payment, including:

  • The entire LPIS must be suitable for mowing and committed to the late meadow bonus payment, if chosen.
  • Meadows must be closed-up with no grazing or machinery operations taking place for at least six weeks prior to cutting.
  • The earliest date meadows may be cut for hay/silage is 1 July and the latest date to qualify for the bonus payment is 31 August.
  • A request will be sent to all LIG participants annually. If applicable in any year of contract, those cutting the whole parcel as a late meadow can make a claim by submitting a geo-tagged photograph(s), via the AgriSnap app, giving a clear representation of the mown meadow. The photo must be submitted to the Department of Agriculture on the date of mowing or within five days of mowing activity (must be prior to significant grass re-growth). It is advisable to discuss with your advisor if you are planning for meadow in such parcels. This is as there is a different sward structure and scorecard process. It is beneficial to leave a 2m margin to maximise the score for structure at scoring. It may also be useful to leave wider taller hedges to help scores where scoring the worst 30m section.

    • Catch crops

    The following are the main criteria concerning catch crops sown under ACRES:

  • Catch crops can only be planted on land which grew a tillage crop in that year.
  • The crop cannot be established by using a plough.
  • The minimum area to be planted is 0.5ha. The maximum area for payment on the scheme is 20ha.
  • You cannot undersow the crop with grass.
  • The crop must be planted before 15 September. The crop must remain in-situ until 1 January. After this time, light grazing or incorporation of the crop is allowed. Intensive strip grazing or zero grazing is not allowed on crops planted under the scheme.
  • If a watercourse is present on the parcel, the Department of Agriculture says that the watercourse must be fenced to 1.5m.
  • The parcel(s) can be rotated each year as long as the same area is planted each year and the parcels are declared on your BISS application.

    • Riparian grassland buffers

    Cutting and the removal of vegetation is permitted in riparian buffer zones but it cannot take place between 1 March and 31 August annually.

    The use of heavy machinery should be avoided within 2m of the top of the bank.

    Pesticides and herbicides are not permitted except for spot treatment of noxious/invasive weeds with riparian areas seen as more susceptible to non-native invasive species.

    Participants who selected rare-breed action must produce one progeny registered with the society in first three years.

    Participants who selected the rare breed action and who have yet to produce at least one registered progeny should note that this objective must be completed before the end of year three.

    Under the terms and conditions of the scheme, participants must produce at least one offspring from at least one of the breeds selected that is registered with the relevant breed society before the end of year three of the contract. Participants must also be a member of the recognised breed society for the duration of the contract and maintain an up-to-date monthly record of all registered animals owned. Furthermore, participants must have at least 0.1LU eligible for payment each year.

    The livestock unit values for different categories of stock are outlined as follows;

  • Bovines under one year old are 0.4LU.
  • Bovines aged from one to two years are 0.7LU.
  • Male bovines aged two years and over are 1LU.
  • Suckler cows and female bovines aged two years and over are 0.8LU.
  • Equines over six months are 0.8LU.
  • Sheep/goats over six months of age are 0.1LU.

    • Scoring of lands in year three

    The scoring of lands is a critical component of the ACRES scheme with relevant lands scored three times over the duration of the five-year contract. The typical scoring timeline is year one, three and five, meaning there is a large area of ground to score in 2025.

    The assessment and scoring of lands under two ACRES General Actions, low-input grassland and low-input peat grassland, and forage lands under ACRES Co-Operation is carried out by the participants approved ACRES advisers. Such advisers are required to attend regular mandatory scorecard training to upskill on the assessment and scoring of lands.

    There is a results-based payment for commonages greater than 10 hectares with the assessment and scoring of such commonages carried out by the relevant ACRES Co-Operation project team while commonages outside those areas are scored by teams contracted by the Department of Agriculture. An appropriate grazing livestock enterprise needs to be maintained to keep commonage eligible. Fields cannot be recently mown before scoring as sufficient growing vegetation is needed to score the area.

    A geo-tagged photograph submitted via the AgriSnap app giving a clear representation of the scored field must accompany each scorecard. Indicator species occurring in the boundaries and margins and not otherwise represented in the main part of the field cannot be counted in the scorecard.

    It is important to make contact with your adviser if you plan to mow/top LIG.

    Scorecards for each holding must be submitted within 14 days of submitting the first scorecard, so advance notice is required where there is more than just the LIG area to score. Scorecards must be submitted by 31 August.

    Hedgerow management in ACRES parcels

    It is also important to note that there is strict criteria for managing hedgerows in ACRES parcels. The scheme specifications state that there is no requirement to cut hedgerows in ACRES parcels.

    However, if hedgerows are managed by cutting, then the following rules apply:

  • If existing hedges are greater than 1.8 metres in height, cutting/trimming is permitted once they are not cut below 1.8 metres from ground level (or top of bank where applicable).
  • If existing hedges are less than 1.8 metres, do NOT cut or trim. The only exceptions are roadside hedgerows, hedgerows on external farm boundaries, newly established hedgerows (less than 10 years old), hedgerows that were recently coppiced or laid and hedgerows located in breeding wader hotspot mapped areas.

    • The specifications advise that where cutting hedgerows to only cut a percentage in one year. It says that for hedgerows managed by top-trimming, it is advisable to cut these in an A shape, which allows the base and sides to receive more light, and result in a denser structure valuable for wildlife.

    “Where possible, leave at least one thorn tree uncut within each hedgerow. It is also advisable that escaped hedges (ie, hedges that were never topped and have developed into a treeline) should only be side trimmed and not topped,” it says.

    “Good quality hedgerows will greatly enhance the benefits of other linear actions such as grass margins, winter bird food strips, unharvested cereal headlands and ryegrass seed-set.”