Monitoring of eligibility for Late Meadow Bonus payment under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES)

While participants in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) will already be aware that the Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine will again be using the Area Monitoring System (AMS) to ensure that farmers in area-based schemes, one of which is ACRES, have met their eligibility requirements for 2026, the Department wishes to advise ACRES participants that AMS will also be used to ascertain eligibility for a late meadow bonus associated with the Low Input Grassland and the Low Input Peat Grassland actions undertaken under ACRES. AMS will be used for this action in addition to the review of AgriSnap™ photographs provided and the standard field inspections for the monitoring of eligibility of payments under ACRES.

Participants undertaking those actions under ACRES have the opportunity to apply for a late meadow bonus payment (of €50 per hectare) on meadows cut between 1 July and 31 August.

The ACRES Specifications include certain requirements in relation to eligibility for late meadow bonus associated with the above two actions, as follows:

Note: The following specification for late meadow bonus payment refers to parcels that are mown for hay or silage. The entire LPIS must be suitable for mowing and committed to the late meadow bonus payment if chosen.

Requirements to qualify for late meadow bonus payment associated with a) the Low Input Grassland (LIG) action & b) the Low Input Peat Grassland (LIPG) action:

1. Meadows must be closed-up with no grazing or machinery operations to take place for at least 6 weeks prior to cutting.
2. The earliest date meadows may be cut for hay/silage is 1 July and the latest date to qualify for the bonus payment is 31 August.
3. A request will be sent to all LIG and LIPG participants annually. If applicable in any year of contract, those cutting the whole parcel as a late meadow can make a claim by submitting a Geo-tagged photograph(s), via the AgriSnap App, giving a clear representation of the mown meadow. The photo must be submitted to DAFM on the date of mowing or within 5 days after mowing activity (but must be prior to significant grass re-growth).

The detailed requirements for the undertaking of the above Actions are available in the ACRES Specifications available on the Department’s website at ACRES Terms and Conditions, Specifications and Circulars (www.gov.ie).

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 the 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.
• The use of AMS in relation to ACRES was advised to ACRES participants in a Technical Notice issued by the Department on 4 March 2026 which is available on the Department’s website at Update for participants in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES)
• Low Input Grassland (LIG) action

LIG is an action which farmers may undertake under ACRES, the purpose of which is to reward farmers for farming grassland extensively which maximises the other services the field provides to nature, water quality and climate. This is a result-based measure which means that fields are assessed qualitatively so that the payment received is linked to the quality of the environmental outcome delivered.

• Low Input Peat Grassland (LIPG) action

This is a climate mitigation action which rewards farmers for sensitive management of grassland on peat soils in order to help reduce CO2 emissions. This action is results-based and is targeted at grassland next to raised bog SAC habitats.