Landscape Actions under Irelands flagship Agri-environment scheme; ACRES are voluntary complementary environmental actions designed to target environmental issues such as invasive species management, encroaching scrub, threatened species and water quality.
These issues were often noted during the assessment of land belonging to ACRES Co-operation participants during the completion of scorecards for results-based payments. The presence of these issues usually resulted in a reduction in the score achieved.
The targeted implementation of these Landscape Actions should result in improved results-based scores in coming years leading to an increased payment and also benefit the local landscape and environment.
A previous application window for Landscape Actions was opened from 18 July 2025 to 30 September 2025, with the decisions, on the applications received, issued on 28 January 2026.
This second application window opened on 11 February 2026, with the closing date for submission of applications being 28 May 2026.
It has been announced that decision letters have now started to be issued in respect of applications submitted earlier this year for Landscape Actions available under the Co-operation approach of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES).
Making the announcement, the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon said: “The decision letters being issued this week are in respect of a batch of the applications submitted since February 2026 where there is a specific timeframe in which the action should be undertaken. The issue of the decisions for these time-sensitive actions is to enable the participants to undertake the relevant action at the earliest opportunity within the ideal time frame. All applications for Landscape Actions have to undergo environmental screening so it is envisaged that decision letters will issue in the third quarter of this year in respect of the remaining applications submitted to date plus those that may be submitted up to 28 May 2026.”
Minister Heydon continued: “This phased issue of decisions on Landscape Actions applications will help maintain momentum in their implementation so that benefits can be derived as soon as possible. While the current Landscape Action application window will close on 28 May 2026, it is proposed that another application window for Landscape Actions will open later this year. I therefore again encourage farmers who are participating in the Co-operation approach of ACRES to engage with their local ACRES Co-operation Project Team to identify the opportunities available to them in the form of Landscape Actions appropriate to their lands.”
A third application window is expected to open in the third quarter of 2026.
To learn more about ACRES, click here.