The €1.5bn Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), cited by Government as a new REPS, will open on 1 August, the Irish Farmers Journal can reveal.

The scheme will deliver maximum annual payments of between €7,300 and €10,500 to 50,000 farmers.

There will be at least two tranches for farmers to apply for the scheme and contracts will begin on 1 January 2023.

The scheme’s payments for environmental measures will be “more results-based than ever” and will run for five years, Department officials have said.

Farmers can participate in the scheme in two ways – 20,000 farmers in high-priority geographical areas through a co-operation approach and 30,000 farmers elsewhere who will take on environmental measures through a general approach.

Priority access will be based on tiers which the Department says will “push farmers to do more”.

Farm organisations have hit out at ACRES, with the IFA, ICMSA, ICSA and Irish Grain Growers all critical of the scheme payment rates.