Key updates for ACRES participants revealed
All remaining soil sample results or soil sample exemption forms must be submitted by February 28, 2026, as soil sampling is a key requirement of ACRES. Picture :Noel Bennett
Ahead of deadlines, the Department of Agriculture has issued an update for Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) participants.
These updates include claims of approved Non-Productive Investments (NPIs), ACRES tranche 1 training courses, amendments to the Conservation of Rare Breeds Action and documentation submissions.
The deadline for submission of claims on the implementation of approved NPIs has been extended to March 31, 2026.
Claims may be submitted by the ACRES Co-operation participants, or their ACRES adviser, in respect of the implementation of NPIs approved under the 2023 Annual Work Plan (AWP) and/or the 2024 AWP.
An NPI question and answer document and a recording of a webinar on the claims system are available on the department’s website to address any queries on making such a claim.
The deadline by which ACRES Tranche 1 participants may attend a voluntary ACRES training course has been extended to March 31, 2026.
These training courses are voluntary as part of the ACRES Training Scheme and are available to ACRES participants in their third year of participation.
ACRES training courses are arranged and held by approved ACRES trainers, a list of who is available on the Department’s website.
Participants who are interested in attending a voluntary ACRES Training course must contact an approved ACRES trainer to indicate their interest in attending a course.
The original requirement in the ACRES Specifications is 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 three of the contract.”Â
Now, 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 five.
For bovines, an adult female(s) (over two years of age) must be mated to a purebred male of the same breed at each mating. Breeding females must produce at least one registered offspring before the end of the contract; otherwise, there will be full clawback.
Equines are under the same rule; however, an adult female is classified as over three years of age.
Ovines or caprines (goats), an adult female(s) (over one year of age) must be mated to a purebred male of the same breed at each mating. Breeding females must produce at least two registered offspring before the end of the contract; otherwise, there will be full clawback.
The department has advised participants there is no longer a requirement for each breeding adult female to produce the stated number of registered offspring before the end of the contract.
The non-submission by participants, or by their ACRES advisors on their behalf, of certain returns impacts the making of ACRES payments.
The deadline for outstanding Annual Declarations for the Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) action in respect of 2025 must be submitted via the online portal by February 28, 2026.
The penalty for non-submission of an Annual Declaration LESS action is the rejection of that action from the participants’ ACRES contract.
Outstanding submissions for the Annual Declaration for the Conservation of Rare Breeds action, under ACRES, in respect of 2024 are due February 28, 2026, and can be completed online via the AgFood system.
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.
All remaining soil sample results or soil sample exemption forms must be submitted by February 28, 2026, as soil sampling is a key requirement of ACRES.
This is the final deadline by which the relevant documents may be uploaded on the ACRES system by an approved ACRES adviser. It is important to note 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 February 28, is termination of the participants’ ACRES contract and recoupment of all monies previously paid to the participant in respect of ACRES.
The final deadline for uploading a completed Commonage Farm Plan (CFP) onto the ACRES AgSchemes document manager is December 31, 2025.
A CFP must be submitted in respect of commonage parcels entered into ACRES which are less than or equal to 10ha. 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.
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 penalty for non-submission of a CFP is the rejection of the parcel or parcels, where there have been no CFP has been received, from the participant’s ACRES Contract.
This will result in a subsequent recoupment of monies previously paid to the participant in respect of the commonage action on the parcel or parcels concerned.
