The Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM) is to use the Area Monitoring System (AMS) to check eligibility for a bonus payment under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).

The use of the AMS to monitor area-based schemes in EU member states became mandatory on January 1, 2023.

The system interprets imagery from the EU's Sentinel satellites to determine agricultural activity on the 1.1 million declared land parcels in the country.

ACRES

The department confirmed that it will again be using the AMS to ensure that farmers in area-based schemes, including ACRES, have met their eligibility requirements.

For 2026, DAFM said that the system will also be used to determine eligibility for a late meadow bonus associated with the Low Input Grassland (LIG) and the Low Input Peat Grassland (LIPG) 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," the department said.

Farmers undertaking these actions under ACRES have the opportunity to apply for a late meadow bonus payment of €50/ha on meadows cut between July 1 and August 31.

Under the ACRES scheme, there are certain requirements to qualify for the late meadow bonus, including:

Meadows must be closed-up with no grazing or machinery operations to take place for at least 6 weeks prior to cutting;
The earliest date meadows may be cut for hay/silage is July 1 and the latest date to qualify for the bonus payment is August 31.
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).

DAFM noted that these specification for late meadow bonus payment refer 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.