Michael Healy-Rae (Kerry, Independent)
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750. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if previous forestry can be used for the new ACRES scheme (details supplied); and if he will make a statement on the matter. [58698/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) is the agri-environment climate measure under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023 – 2027.

There are two approaches available to farmers under ACRES, namely the ACRES General approach or the ACRES Co-operation approach depending on the location of their holding, with the eligibility for each outlined in the Scheme Terms and Conditions available on my Department’s website at 'gov.ie - Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) (www.gov.ie)'.

Access to ACRES General is structured around a hierarchy of three tiers, with Tier 1 receiving priority over Tier 2 and Tier 2 over Tier 3. If a farmer is a participant in the Native Woodland Establishment Scheme or Forestry Grant Premium Category (GPC) 11 – Agro-forestry by the closing date for applications under relevant Tranche of ACRES, he/she may be eligible for Tier 2 priority entry to the ACRES General approach. In this way, certain forestry may assist a farmer in gaining entry to the Scheme. To qualify on this basis, the farmer must, however, be a participant in those schemes (that is, be still in receipt of premiums) by the closing date for applications under relevant Tranche of ACRES.

As stated in Section 8.12 of the ACRES Terms and Conditions, “Except for Barn Owl boxes, the parcel selected on which a General Action is to be delivered must have an MEA/eligible hectare greater than zero in year of application”. An ‘MEA’ is the maximum area within a digitised parcel that can be claimed under the Basic Payment Scheme/ Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) Scheme, while an ‘Eligible Hectare’ is an agricultural area with an agricultural activity and land that is at the farmer’s disposal. ACRES is therefore only payable on land under agriculture.