The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, highlighted today (21 January) the national environmental benefits delivered through the voluntary participation of farmers in Ireland’s flagship agri-environment scheme over the past three years. The programme has generated strong outcomes for biodiversity, climate action and improved water quality.
The Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) now covers around 1.5 million hectares across Ireland and involves nearly 54,000 farmers. Participants can choose from more than 30 actions designed to support sustainable land management, with environmental benefits expected to increase over the five-year lifetime of the scheme.
Among the key achievements, farmers have protected 6,000 km of riparian zones along watercourses, helping to reduce the runoff of nutrients and soil into rivers and streams. They have also planted 22,500 hectares of catch crops to reduce nutrient leaching and limit soil erosion. ACRES is also delivering significant gains for wildlife and biodiversity. More than 55,000 hectares of land have been managed to provide undisturbed winter foraging areas for geese and swans, while 6,800 hectares have been set aside to supply tailored winter food sources for farmland birds. In addition, 13,700 barn owl boxes have been installed to support wildlife on farms.
The scheme is further improving rural landscapes through hedgerow and tree planting. To date, 2,300 km of new hedgerows have been planted, alongside the rejuvenation of existing hedgerows through 306 km of hedgerow laying and 1,082 km of coppicing. Over 500,000 trees have also been planted, enhancing biodiversity, providing shelter for livestock and helping to reduce soil erosion. Cultural heritage has also been supported, with 10,000 km of traditional dry-stone walls maintained under ACRES.
Minister Heydon underlined the financial scale of the programme, noting that €741 million in payments has been issued to farmers for their environmental work. Under the ACRES co-operation approach, more than €3.6 million has also been paid to 1,542 participants for non-productive investments and landscape actions. Finally, over 800 advisors have been trained to support farmers and strengthen the delivery of the scheme’s environmental objectives.
The Minister concluded that agriculture is part of the solution to environmental improvement and that the public should be aware of the return delivered by this level of national investment.
To learn more about ACRES scheme, click here.
