The Department of Agriculture has officially launched the Farmland Plant Identification Key, which all 46,000 participants of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) have now received as part of their information pack.
Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue and Minister of State Pippa Hackett both launched the book on 14 June.
The publication contains a description of the most common plants found in a wide range of Irish grasslands and peatlands.
ACRES has a major results-based payment element at its core, which rewards farmers financially for having a more species-rich sward enhancing our biodiversity.
The book will be helpful to farmers who wish to identify a variety of plants that can have a beneficial effect on biodiversity.
Minister McConalogue said in relation to ACRES that “the environmental objective is the enhancement of the quality and range of species of our grasslands through appropriate management by farmers and landowners who are the custodians of these pastures".
"This book will enhance farmers’ knowledge and enable them to increase their result-based payment under the scheme,” he said.
Co-operation teams
The ministers also acknowledged that the eight ACRES co-operation teams around the nation are continuing their training of advisers in the use of the new scorecards, ensuring accurate and reliable scoring of fields throughout the summer.
Minister McConalogue also said: “This scoring work has now commenced and the scoring of fields this summer in year one of ACRES will set a baseline for those participants approved into the scheme under tranche one, allowing for progress to be measured over the course of the scheme.”
