ACRES Confusion

There appears to be a lot of confusion around what options farmers have chosen as part of their ACRES application. The Department of Agriculture did send out maps earlier this year with ACRES actions identified, along with a list of the measures chosen on different areas of the farm. For many farmers, options were discussed with their planners last November at the application stage.

With approvals delayed, many didn’t complete any work on proposed actions until they were sure that they were in the scheme. The farmers I spoke to are now wondering what they need to do as part of the plan.

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The Department of Agriculture specifications list out all the requirements for the different options, what needs to be done and when it needs to be completed by.

Riparian zones, which were a popular option needed to be fenced off with a permanent fence by 15 May 2023.

These riparian zones cannot be cut between 1 March and 31 August each year. Extensively grazed pasture was also popular, and fields allocated to this measure must not be topped or mown until after 1 July.

If in doubt of any of your options or what you need to do, contact the planner who submitted your ACRES application. Remote satellite inspections can be carried out on your farm at any time, so make sure you are meeting the scheme requirements to avoid penalties or having to pay the money back.

Drought Management

While we did see some rain this week, many parts just received a small amount. Grass growth remains under pressure, especially in the south and east of the country. The advice is to continue to hold off on fertiliser application until more moisture returns to the ground.

The forecast seems to be moving towards more rain next week. Avoid topping or mowing any paddocks and use strip wires to deal with heavier covers to increase utilisation. Avoid working with cattle at jobs like weighing or dosing in high heat, and use the cooler evenings for these jobs. Don’t forget to use sunscreen and drink plenty of water to keep hydrated.

SCEP tags

Tags for the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme are being posted out to participants. The programme requires you to genotype 70% of your reference number of animals each year.

If you have received tags for animals that have died, left the farm, have left the herd or are too dangerous to tag, you should contact ICBF on 023-8832883 or email them at dafmschemes@icbf.com.

Post within 48 hours of taking the samples. Don’t expose the samples to heat or direct sunlight. Tag your animals as soon as you can to avoid any delays in your SCEP payment in 2023.

The closing date for the return of samples is 30 November 2023, and samples will not be accepted after that date.