The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has issued an official reminder for key dates and details for actions for the Co-operation Project (CP) stream of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).

These actions concern non-productive investments (NPIs) and landscape actions (LAs), which allow ACRES participants in CP zones to enhance their payments under the scheme.

The department has advised farmers that the deadline for the submission of payment claims in respect of the implementation of non-productive investments (NPIs) approved in their 2023 annual work plans (AWPs) is March 31.

Only one payment claim may be submitted for each AWP.

All actions must be fully completed in line with specifications before the payment claim is submitted.

Farmers are also reminded that the deadline for submission of payment claims in respect of the implementation of NPIs approved in their 2024 AWP remains December 31.

An NPI question and answer document and a recording of a webinar by the department on the submission of such claims is available on the department's website.

ACRES landscape actions

Participants in the ACRES CP stream are being advised that applications may now be submitted for landscape actions, which are complementary actions available to ACRES Co-operation participants.

These actions are to support farmers in the CP approach of the scheme to target specific environmental priorities, with the actions focussing on issues such as threatened species, water quality protection, invasive species management and encroaching scrub management in species-rich grassland.

Applications for landscape actions, in the form of a landscape action works plan, are submitted to the department by the ACRES CP teams on behalf of participants in their respective zones.

ACRES CP teams play a key role in the efficient and effective targeting of landscape actions at landscape level in their respective ACRES CP zones.

Participants are therefore encouraged to engage with their ACRES CP team to explore the opportunities available to them as regards appropriate landscape actions for their holding.