Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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759. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine his Department’s plans to introduce further actions under ACRES that may encourage further participation amongst farmers; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [16702/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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The Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) is an agri-environmental climate measure in Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023-2027, approved by the European Commission in October 2022.

There are currently 54,223 participants in the scheme which exceeds the planned complement of 50,000.

Participants in the ACRES Co-operation approach have had the opportunity since their entry into the Scheme to apply to undertake actions under the Non-Productive Investment (NPI) element of ACRES. There will be further opportunities for them to avail of NPIs, as well as actions under the Landscape Actions element of that approach, in the future.

As the actions available to farmers under ACRES are specified in Ireland's CSP, it is not possible to introduce further actions without the approval of the Commission.