A failure to complete and submit the LESS return will result in a delay in making the 2025 ACRES advance payment and may result in the rejection of the LESS action.
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The Department of Agriculture has released a circular under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) informing participants and advisers that the portal for submitting the annual Low Emissions Slurry Spreading (LESS) declaration is now open.
The declaration must be completed online by 31 October 2025 for those who selected this action.
Participants of their approved ACRES adviser can complete the declaration via MyAgfood.ie or AgFood.ie which will remain active for a limited timeframe to facilitate the transition.
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The Department advises that there is no requirement to enclose receipts when completing the form.
These should be kept by the participant with their record sheets and be made available for any inspection.
A failure to complete and submit the LESS return will result in a delay in making the 2025 ACRES advance payment and may result in the rejection of the LESS action from their ACRES contract.
Highlights
In relation to ACRES, the Department of Agriculture ACRES sections highlights that the following requirements apply to the LESS action:
Holdings must have a grassland stocking rate of less than 100Kg nitrogen per hectare from grazing livestock manure prior to export of livestock manure.
All the slurry applied on the farm (produced and/or imported) must, for each year of the contract, be spread by one or a combination of: Band spreading, injection systems or trailing shoe.
Pig slurry is not eligible for payment under this action. Only slurry produced on the holding (excluding pig slurry) is eligible for payment.
Participants must retain, and provide if requested, documentary evidence to confirm the spreading method used, and the volumes spread on the holding. For example, a calculation of the slurry produced, imported, spread and/or a receipt from the contractor or other evidence as required.
The minimum volume of slurry that must be applied on the holding each year of the contract using one of the above listed methods is 50 cubic metres. For ease of calculation, one cubic metre is equal to 1,000 litres (220 gallons).
The participant or their approved ACRES adviser must submit a completed annual slurry declaration return to the Department on the online portal.
Only parcels with an eligible hectare >0 claimed on BISS 2025 will be available on the drop-down menu.
Volume produced and volume imported must be entered in separate fields and at least one of the fields must be filled in.
Multiple spread events on the same parcel can be input.
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The Department of Agriculture has released a circular under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) informing participants and advisers that the portal for submitting the annual Low Emissions Slurry Spreading (LESS) declaration is now open.
The declaration must be completed online by 31 October 2025 for those who selected this action.
Participants of their approved ACRES adviser can complete the declaration via MyAgfood.ie or AgFood.ie which will remain active for a limited timeframe to facilitate the transition.
The Department advises that there is no requirement to enclose receipts when completing the form.
These should be kept by the participant with their record sheets and be made available for any inspection.
A failure to complete and submit the LESS return will result in a delay in making the 2025 ACRES advance payment and may result in the rejection of the LESS action from their ACRES contract.
Highlights
In relation to ACRES, the Department of Agriculture ACRES sections highlights that the following requirements apply to the LESS action:
Holdings must have a grassland stocking rate of less than 100Kg nitrogen per hectare from grazing livestock manure prior to export of livestock manure.
All the slurry applied on the farm (produced and/or imported) must, for each year of the contract, be spread by one or a combination of: Band spreading, injection systems or trailing shoe.
Pig slurry is not eligible for payment under this action. Only slurry produced on the holding (excluding pig slurry) is eligible for payment.
Participants must retain, and provide if requested, documentary evidence to confirm the spreading method used, and the volumes spread on the holding. For example, a calculation of the slurry produced, imported, spread and/or a receipt from the contractor or other evidence as required.
The minimum volume of slurry that must be applied on the holding each year of the contract using one of the above listed methods is 50 cubic metres. For ease of calculation, one cubic metre is equal to 1,000 litres (220 gallons).
The participant or their approved ACRES adviser must submit a completed annual slurry declaration return to the Department on the online portal.
Only parcels with an eligible hectare >0 claimed on BISS 2025 will be available on the drop-down menu.
Volume produced and volume imported must be entered in separate fields and at least one of the fields must be filled in.
Multiple spread events on the same parcel can be input.
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