Announcement of closing date for submission of applications for Landscape Actions under the Co-operation Approach of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES)

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine wishes to advise farmers who are participating in the Co-operation approach of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), that the closing date for submission of applications for Landscape Actions, available under that Approach, is Thursday, 28 May 2026. The current application window for Landscape Actions opened on 11 February 2026, at which time it was advised that the closing date for applications would be announced in due course.

Landscape Actions are a range of voluntary complementary environmental actions available to participants in the Co-operation approach of the scheme to deal with issues such as invasive species, encroaching scrub management in species-rich grassland and issues affecting threatened species and water quality protection.

Applications for Landscape Actions (LAs) are submitted by the ACRES Co-operation Project (CP) Teams on behalf of participants in their respective areas. While a number of applications have already been submitted in this (the second) application window for LAs, the closing date of 28 May 2026 allows another month for submission of applications in the current window. It is currently proposed that the third application window for LAs will open in the third quarter of 2026.

ENDS

Notes for Editors

• The EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) is a partnership between society and agriculture that ensures a stable supply of food, safeguards farmers’ income, protects the environment and keeps rural areas vibrant. EU countries implement the CAP 2023-27 with a CAP Strategic Plan at national level.
• The Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) is co-funded by the National Exchequer and the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) of the European Union under Ireland's CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027.
• ACRES is a national agri-environment climate measure under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027.
• There are two approaches within the Scheme:
  • ACRES General, available nationally (outside of the high priority geographical area as defined for the ACRES Co-operation approach below), which offers a range of measures (both prescription and result-based); and
  • ACRES Co-operation, available to farmers in defined high priority geographical areas. Map in Annex 1 of the ACRES Terms and Conditions for both Tranches shows the 8 ACRES Co-operation zones, with an ACRES Co-operation Project (CP) Team in place in each zone to assist the participants. Participants in the ACRES Co-operation approach may apply for complementary environmental actions in the form of Non-Productive Investments and Landscape Actions.

Landscape Actions (LAs) available under ACRES Co-operation approach

• As advised above, LAs are targeted measures that will focus on issues such as invasive species management, encroaching scrub, threatened species and water quality protection, thereby offering benefits to the local environment.
• These Landscape Actions have been designed to target environmental issues, which have been highlighted in the scorecards for results-based payments and are causing a reduction in the score achieved.
• The targeted implementation of these actions should improve the results-based score achieved on that field/commonage in coming years leading to an increased payment.
• Specifications for the implementation of ACRES Co-operation Landscape Actions are available on the Department’s website at 1._Landscape_Actions_Final_Specifications_V1.0_January_2026.pdf

LA Application windows

• The first LA application window was from 18 July 2025 to 30 September 2025. Decision letters on the applications submitted in that period were issued to participants on 28 January 2026.
• The second application window opened on 11 February 2026, the closing date of which is now announced as Thursday, 28 May 2026.
• It is currently proposed that the third application window for LAs will open in the third quarter of 2026.

LA Application Process

• Landscape Actions are only available to participants in the ACRES Co-operation approach, who may apply for them through their local ACRES Co-operation Project (CP) Team.
• The CP Team creates and submits a Landscape Action Annual Works Plan (LA-AWP) for the ACRES Co-operation participant through the Generic Land Management (GLAM) mapping system maintained by the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (‘the Department’).
• The proposed landscape actions submitted on the Annual Work Plans are then environmentally screened by the CP Team, who submit the outcome of that screening to the Department. Decision letters are then issued by the Department to the participants. Authorisation for approved LA actions is from the date of issue of the LA-AWP Decision letter.
• LAs must not be undertaken in advance of receiving the decision letter as approval is subject to the outcome of the environmental screening and validation of the application.