Aindrias Moynihan (Cork North West, Fianna Fail)
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39. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the number of farmers in Cork north-west who have been accepted to the ACRES scheme. [11514/23]

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

It is a flagship agri-environmental scheme that will pay farmers €1.5bn over the lifetime of the scheme ACRES will play a huge role in terms of driving environmental improvements while also providing a crucial income support to farm families. ACRES is the largest amount ever committed to an agri-environment scheme.

As the Deputy may be aware, Tranche 1 of the Scheme, which opened for applications last October, was significantly oversubscribed, with over 46,000 applications received for the 30,000 places allocated to be filled under Tranche 1. I was pleased to announce last week the acceptance of all valid applications received for Tranche 1 into the Scheme.

While it is not possible to provide data specifically for the Cork north-west region, I note that, on foot of the decision to accept all valid applications, approval letters have issued to over 3,700 successful applicants who hold Cork Business IDs. I refer to Business IDs as this encompasses individual herd numbers, registered farm partnership and companies registered with my Department.

I am encouraged by the level of applications for ACRES as it shows how engaged and ambitious our farm families are as regards the contribution they can make to climate and biodiversity objectives. As I have mentioned, formal approval letters were scheduled to be posted to successful applicants on 8 March 2023. An approval summary, which will show where actions have been mapped on the participant’s farm, will then be posted to ACRES participants by the end of March, with a copy of the Farmland Plant Identification Guide, a booklet produced by my Department to help farmers identify the indicator species on their land to be used in the scoring process.

Using a habitats-based approach, delivered through both multi-functional prescription and results-based actions, ACRES aims to contribute significantly to achieving improved biodiversity, climate, air and water quality outcomes and I look forward to the continued efforts and co-operation from all of the parties involved to achieve those improved outcomes.