Balancing payments worth €33.2m for farmers in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) in 2024 have commenced.
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon issued the payments which will be made to 42,444 ACRES participants and brings the total amount paid to farmers to €490m since January 2023.
Payment in respect of participation in ACRES is made in two phases: an advance payment, which may be paid from mid-October of the year in question, and a balancing payment, which follows by the end of June of the following year.
Minister Heydon said the payments compensate and reward participants for undertaking all of the actions within ACRES, which in turn contributes to achieving the stated objectives of the scheme.
“While attention will naturally be focused on the receipt of payments, I consider that we should acknowledge the contribution of farmers, through their participation in ACRES, towards a range of environmental, biodiversity, climate and water quality objectives.”
Some of the actions taken by farmers to date include the planting of 566,000 trees, 26,000ha under catch crops and the protection of almost 9,000km of watercourses under the Riparian Zone action.
Measures
Minister Heydon advised that, while the 2024 ACRES balancing payments have commenced, remaining payments in respect of 2023 and the 2024 ACRES advance payments will also continue to issue on a weekly basis as cases pass the required validation checks.
Some of the actions taken by farmers to date include the planting of 566,000 trees, 26,000ha under catch crops and the protection of almost 9,000km of watercourses under the Riparian Zone action.
“As regards biodiversity, 7,000ha of land are providing a food source for birds throughout the autumn and winter, while 21,000 boxes have been built for barn owls and kestrels,” added Heydon.
“In addition, the area covered by results-based actions has increased from 80,000 hectares to more than 1.1m hectares, and the number of farmers implementing such actions has increased tenfold.”
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Balancing payments worth €33.2m for farmers in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) in 2024 have commenced.
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon issued the payments which will be made to 42,444 ACRES participants and brings the total amount paid to farmers to €490m since January 2023.
Payment in respect of participation in ACRES is made in two phases: an advance payment, which may be paid from mid-October of the year in question, and a balancing payment, which follows by the end of June of the following year.
Minister Heydon said the payments compensate and reward participants for undertaking all of the actions within ACRES, which in turn contributes to achieving the stated objectives of the scheme.
“While attention will naturally be focused on the receipt of payments, I consider that we should acknowledge the contribution of farmers, through their participation in ACRES, towards a range of environmental, biodiversity, climate and water quality objectives.”
Some of the actions taken by farmers to date include the planting of 566,000 trees, 26,000ha under catch crops and the protection of almost 9,000km of watercourses under the Riparian Zone action.
Measures
Minister Heydon advised that, while the 2024 ACRES balancing payments have commenced, remaining payments in respect of 2023 and the 2024 ACRES advance payments will also continue to issue on a weekly basis as cases pass the required validation checks.
Some of the actions taken by farmers to date include the planting of 566,000 trees, 26,000ha under catch crops and the protection of almost 9,000km of watercourses under the Riparian Zone action.
“As regards biodiversity, 7,000ha of land are providing a food source for birds throughout the autumn and winter, while 21,000 boxes have been built for barn owls and kestrels,” added Heydon.
“In addition, the area covered by results-based actions has increased from 80,000 hectares to more than 1.1m hectares, and the number of farmers implementing such actions has increased tenfold.”
Read more
Safeguards to be built into rewetting law
CAP simplification plan will save farmers money - Commission
'Majority' of ACRES farmers to be paid by month-end - Minister
Seven ACRES actions to be monitored by AMS in 2025
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