Michael McNamara (Clare, Independent)
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162. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the steps he will take to ensure that farmers in co-operation areas can access the same level of funding per hectare under the ACRES scheme as those who are not in co-operation areas; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [61351/22]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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ACRES is the flagship agri-environment scheme under the new CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027. The Government has committed €1.5 billion to ACRES over the term 2023 to 2027. This is the largest amount ever committed to an agri-environment scheme. The Scheme has two approaches:  

- ACRES Co-operation Project (CP), which applies in eight mapped zones that are areas of high nature value.

- ACRES General, for all other farmers not falling within CP Zones.  

My Department, in collaboration with National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Local Authorities Water Programme and the Department of Housing, Local Government and Heritage, delineated the 8 CP zones map during the design stage of the Scheme development.  Farmers in these zones who join ACRES CP will have the assistance and expertise of local ACRES CP teams available to them. This advice and training will enable farmers to carry out the appropriate actions to improve the habitat on their holdings thereby increasing their score and results-based payment.

A maximum payment of €10,500 annually is available to ACRES CP participants; €7,311 is the maximum for ACRES General participants. 

In ACRES CP €7,000 is ring-fenced for results-based payments, with the additional €3,500 set aside for non-productive investments (NPIs) and landscape actions.  The purpose of non-productive investments and landscape actions is to improve the habitat and thereby the scores achieved in the results-based approach taken on holdings in CP Zones. 

My Department has, with the assistance of the Co-operation Project Teams (CP Teams), compiled a list of approx. 50 NPIs.  Participants in the CP Zones will have the assistance of CP Teams, who will meet and discuss with farmers how best to use NPIs on their holding to ensure, among other things, that they receive as high a level of income as possible from the Scheme. 

I am pleased to say that the scheme is proving to be very popular. It closed at midnight last night and is over-subscribed. This highlights the willingness of farmers to take on these ambitious environmental measures. We look forward to working closely with the selected farmers over the next five years.