The window for submitting applications for non-productive investments (NPIs) for farmers participating in the co-operation stream of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme was opened this week by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue. Agents have about a six-week window to submit applications, with a deadline of 4.30pm on Thursday, 31 October 2024, for submission.
The window for submitting applications for non-productive investments (NPIs) for farmers participating in the co-operation stream of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme was opened this week by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue.
Agents have about a six-week window to submit applications, with a deadline of 4.30pm on Thursday, 31 October 2024, for submission.
Making the announcement, Minister McConalogue said: “I encourage farmers in the ACRES Co-operation approach to avail of the funding available to them through NPIs.
“These investments are an integral element of ACRES, that support farmers to take specific measures to enhance environmental outcomes on their holdings and thereby increase their payments under the scheme.”
Approval process
Applications, in the form of NPI Annual Work plans, are prepared and submitted by ACRES advisers on behalf of their clients who are ACRES Co-operation participants. The Department advises that similar to the first tranche of NPIs, necessary screening of applications will take place by the relevant ACRES Co-Operation Project Team.
NPIs cannot be completed before approval is received and doing so will render such investments ineligible for payment.
The Department recently gave an update on ongoing delays in getting tranche one NPI applications approved. It also touched on the situation in this week’s announcement stating: “regarding the NPI application window last November/December, all applications have been through the screening process, with some additional validations now required.
“As outlined in the recent update, the system to support the submission of claims and the processing of payments in respect of these approved investments will follow as early as possible in 2025”.
Minister McConalogue added: “My Department is expediting decision letters for farmers that applied in the first window, and these are scheduled to issue by the end of the year.”
There is a list of over 40 NPIs available on agriculture.gov.ie in the ACRES section. These are grouped into three categories as follows:
Section one: NPI Habitat and Wildlife Support.Section two: NPI Infrastructure.Section three: NPI Scrub/Track (Burren/Aran CP Zone only) was developed in conjunction with the ACRES Co-operation Project (CP) Teams. 
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