Decision letters for non-productive investments (NPIs) under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) will be issued to farmers in the coming days.

The letters are in respect of the third application window for NPIs under ACRES.

ACRES NPIs are voluntary complementary environmental actions available under the ACRES Co-operation approach that allow farmers to take specific measures to enhance environmental outcomes on their holdings, and to increase their payments.

The application window in 2025, which was open from August 5 to October 17, was the third opportunity for ACRES Co-operation participants to apply for NPIs.

Decision letters on those 2025 NPI applications will issue over the next fortnight, allowing farmers whose investments are approved to start implementing the NPIs approved in their 2025 NPI Annual Work Plans.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon commented: "The issue of the decision letters within six months of the closing date is a significant improvement on the timeframe within which the decisions were issued in previous years, and this quicker turnaround will give farmers more time to undertake the work."

Referring to the approvals issued in respect of applications submitted in 2023 and 2024, the minister said: "I am also pleased to note that just under €7 million has been paid to 2,929 ACRES farmers to date in respect of the implementation of NPIs approved under the Annual Work Plans for both of those years.

"The benefit of those actions should become evident when their lands are being assessed and scored in due course for the calculation of their ACRES results-based payments," Minister Heydon added.

The minister confirmed that it is the intention that the NPI system will open again later this year for the submission of applications for 2026.

"I would therefore encourage ACRES Co-operation farmers to engage with their ACRES advisers and their local ACRES Co-operation Project Team in the next few months to increase their awareness of the range of NPIs available...with a view to their ACRES adviser submitting an application for NPIs on their behalf when the next application window opens," Minister Heydon said.