Charlie McConalogue (Donegal, Fianna Fail)
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There are two approaches within the Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) – ACRES General and ACRES Co-operation.

Commonage falls within both approaches and is a mandatory action for all ACRES participants with commonage land. While it is a results-based action in the ACRES Co-operation, it is only commonages greater than 10 hectares within the ACRES General area that will qualify for a results-based payment. The purpose of a results-based system is to reward farmers for carrying out good environmental practice and encourage increased ambition through subsequent increased scores and resulting increased payments. ACRES does not prohibit any activity, including active turbary.

While fully appreciating the rights of farmers to cut turf, my Department and the Co-operation teams across the country, who are assisting farmers in the ACRES Co-operation zones, are conscious that active turf-cutting could have a disproportionate impact on scores on commonage. To ensure ACRES participants on commonage lands are rewarded for their environmental ambition, I have decided that non-turbary and turbary areas are scored independently of each other. In doing so, any scoring related to active turbary will be confined to those sub-units of active turbary, thereby allowing most of the commonage land to be assessed independently of turbary, where such rights exist.

Farmers in ACRES will be paid in full for their combined score on non-turbary and turbary areas, subject to scheme ceilings. I am satisfied that this approach strikes a good balance between the environmental ambition of the scheme while respecting the traditions of our commonage activities.