Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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218. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine if he can advise if ACRES will reopen later in 2023 for applications, and if someone did not submit an ACRES application in 2022 and is not on the scheme this year, can they still apply if opened again later in the year and be accepted if they meet the criteria of the scheme for 2024; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [15568/23]

Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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The Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme, (ACRES), is the central agri-environment climate measure in Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023-2027. The Government has committed €1.5 billion to ACRES over its duration with the aim of facilitating the participation of 50,000 farmers.

Tranche 1 of ACRES received over 46,000 applicants. All eligible applications submitted for this tranche have been accepted into the Scheme, and farmers are currently receiving their formal notifications.

Tranche 1 is now closed for applications. It is proposed that Tranche 2 will be opened for applications in the fourth quarter of this year, with contracts in that Tranche to commence from 1st January 2024.