Update for participants in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES)

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine wishes to advise farmers who are participating in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) of the following:

Extension of deadline for the submission of claims in respect of the implementation of approved Non-Productive Investments (NPIs)

The deadline for the submission of claims in respect of the implementation of approved NPIs (where the deadline for such submission was stated as 31 December 2025, in the associated decision letter) has been extended to Tuesday, 31 March 2026. Claims may be submitted by the ACRES Co-operation participants, or their ACRES advisor, in respect of the implementation of Non-Productive Investments (NPIs) approved under their 2023 Annual Work Plan (AWP) and/or their 2024 AWP. An NPI question and answer document and a recording of a webinar on the claims system is available on the Department’s website to address any queries on making such a claim. Participants may also contact the Department at ACRESNPI@agriculture.gov.ie.

Extension of deadline by which ACRES Tranche 1 participants may attend voluntary ACRES training course

With reference to the provision in the ACRES Training Scheme (ATS) that participants in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) may undertake a voluntary ACRES training course in their third year of participation in ACRES, please be advised that the deadline by which ACRES Tranche 1 participants may attend a voluntary ACRES Training course has been extended to Tuesday, 31 March 2026. ACRES training courses are arranged and held by approved ACRES trainers, a list of whom is available on the Department’s website at ACRES Training Scheme (ATS). Participants who are interested in attending a voluntary ACRES Training course should contact an approved ACRES trainer to indicate their interest in attending a course.

Amendments of requirements for the Conservation of Rare Breeds Action

• With reference to the requirement in the ACRES Specifications that, to be eligible for the Conservation of Rare Breeds action participants must “From at least one of the breeds selected, produce at least 1 offspring that is registered with the relevant breed society before the end of year 3 of the contract”, please note that the time frame for the production of at least one registered offspring (from at least one of the Rare Breeds selected has been amended to “the end of Year 5”.

The relevant requirement is now:

To be eligible for the Conservation of Rare Breeds action participants must:

From at least 1 of the breeds selected, produce at least 1 offspring that is registered with the relevant breed society before the end of year 5 of the contract

• With reference to the following specific requirements for each of the different types of livestock to be eligible for payment:

Bovines: An adult female(s) (over 2 years of age) must be mated to a purebred male of the same breed at each mating. Breeding females must produce at least 1 registered offspring before the end of the contract, otherwise there will be full clawback

Equines: An adult female(s) (over 3 years of age) must be mated to a purebred male of the same breed at each mating. Breeding females must produce at least 1 registered offspring before the end of the contract, otherwise there will be full clawback

Ovines/Caprines: An adult female(s) (over 1 year of age) must be mated to a purebred male of the same breed at each mating. Breeding females must produce at least 2 registered offspring before the end of the contract, otherwise there will be full clawback

Please note that it is no longer required that each adult breeding female (as described in each category above) produce the stated number of registered offspring before the end of the contract.

Submission of outstanding documentation

The non-submission by participants, or by their ACRES advisors on their behalf, of certain returns impacts on the making of ACRES payments. Your attention is accordingly brought to the following:

Annual Declarations for the Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) action

While the deadline for the submission of Annual Declarations for the Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) action under ACRES was 31 October 2025, outstanding LESS Declarations in respect of 2025 must be submitted, using the online portal, by 28 February 2026. The penalty for non-submission of an Annual Declaration for the Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) action is the rejection of that action from the participants’ ACRES contract

Annual Declaration for the Conservation of Rare Breeds action in respect of 2024

While the deadline for the submission of the Annual Declaration for the Conservation of Rare Breeds action, under ACRES, in respect of 2024 was 15 November 2025, outstanding returns must be submitted, using the ACRES Rare Breeds online portal on the AgFood system, by 28 February 2026. The penalty for non-submission of an Annual Declaration for the Conservation of Rare Breeds action is the rejection of that action from the participants’ ACRES contract.

Submission of soil sample results (or soil sample exemption form)

Soil Sampling is a key requirement of ACRES, and it is essential that all remaining soil sample results, or soil sample exemption forms, are uploaded by 28 February 2026. It should be noted that this is the final deadline by which the relevant documents may be uploaded on the ACRES system by an approved ACRES advisor. It should also be noted that documents submitted by post or email will not be accepted. The penalty for non-submission of soil sample results, or soil sample exemption forms, by 28 February 2026, is termination of the participants’ ACRES contract and recoupment of all monies previously paid to the participant in respect of ACRES.

Commonage Farm Plans

In accordance with the ACRES Terms and Conditions and the ACRES Commonage Specification a Commonage Farm Plan (CFP) must be submitted in respect of commonage parcels entered into ACRES which are less than or equal to ten hectares. A request (containing information on the specific parcels involved) was made to the shareholders of these commonages for the submission of a Commonage Farm Plan in the applicable parcels. Please note that a separate CFP must be prepared and submitted for each individual parcel listed in the notification. Each shareholder of these commonage parcels is obliged to submit an individual Commonage Farm Plan which must be prepared and completed by an approved ACRES advisor. The final deadline for the uploading of a completed CFP onto the ACRES AgSchemes document manager is 31 December 2025. The penalty for non-submission of a Commonage Farm Plan is rejection of the parcel(s) (for which no CFP received) from the participant’s ACRES Contract and recoupment of monies previously paid to the participant in respect of the commonage action on the parcel(s) concerned.