New Acres scheme

If a farmer owns less than 8ha so is he not eligible to apply for the scheme

Much of the success of the new glas will be down to farmers coming up with smart ways to grow their own farm scores.

I was with REAP and i have to say i enjoyed it and looking to get on acres tranche 2 when i can. Its the first scheme that suits my land to be honest. Ive alway kept as low a stocking rate as possible because weve alway had off farm work taking up my families time. I wouldnt want to be relying on agri payments!

I love a good green field! I love a healthy clean looking herd too. But what i hate is rushy "improved" fields that need lots of maintainence work, will always be wet, and has a "neither here nor there" appearance and grass yield performance.

So i have my driest green fields and they are where i target my money for improvement and grass production. On the other end of the farm, in the older unimproved pastures, im aiming to enhance the nature there. I intend to do it well too and i know it will take time.

I know the new acres type scheme is not for everyone, but it suits me and what ive always would have liked for my family farm (properly buzzing with wildlife), but never felt the push to just do it due to lack of funds and incentive.

Seeing as gov have made the planners gatekeepers of a sort you would think there would be an agreed maximum fee or recommended fee schedule etc etc....

They are asleep. Brain dead scheme that will bring in a lot less in one year than an average monthly take home pay would. I won't be touching acres.

Department should be covering planners fee's on it.farmer's wouldn't be paying a planner, were it not for a scheme, so same difference, only farmer's get to keep the money & spend it locally, which much of it would in any event & help sustain employment locally & contribute a tax return to state.

Department dealing with them would get a more honest rate from them, same as them paying farm vets for t.b testing when's the case.

Got a letter from Dept of Housing,Local Govt and Heritage today. Probably like good few other landowners.From what I can make out from content it’s saying Commanage we have a share on on side of Mt is getting a ‘formal designation of Complex Special Area of Conservation’

It was recognised as an existing SAC previously.

Just wondering is this ‘formal designation’ advantageous as regards priority level to try and join new ACRES scheme?

Thanks for any replies. I get my planning done through Teagasc but it’s proving very difficult to get a chance to talk to my planner.

Think you might have a typo in reply ‘re-wetring’

if that stands for re-wetting they will do well to rewet dry ground on steep side of mountain.

One possibility I could see would be them saying you could have to reduce stocking levels on Commanage……but that’s not mentioned at all and it’s a 7 page letter……that lists out all types of flora and fauna on the mountain.

Landscape features like Hedges, scrub etc. now count within BPS according to the new rules on the latter.

as one farmer beside me who never goes into these schemes said he didnt want to draw these feckers onto him and he keeps the place in good shape

just doesnt like these idiots from the dept who know feck all anyway telling him what he should and should not do on his own farm

same here. If the place is kept right then there’s very little for them to find. They’ll always find something as they have to justify their visit but generally it’s not an issue.

I'm finding it hard to get definitive answers on what can and can't be done....

On the face of it the rules and regs seem mosyly straightforward (and for done thkngs I think they are)... but when you get into the nitty gritty of some things.....no one seems to be able to give a definite answer

Dept sent me a text asking if I had any questions last week.....I read your document, attended your webinar, submitted my question and got no response...so yeah I do but I'm not sure asking it would be all that productive.

With the last 6-7 years more and more money was siphoned out of schemes to pay consultants, vets etc.

The discussion groups you had to get a vet to do a herd health plan 150-200 euro and join the ICBF another 65 euro a third of the money gone. So basically about 100/ meeting.

The last GLAS a lot of lads were allowed LIPP with ryegrass, I was not. Scheme was about 1750 euro/ year nearly 700 for the plan and 500 for the he nutrient plan. Bird, batt, bee boxes and sand 450 euro approx. I was getting about 600 from LESS. I was lucky I did not have to fence the water course as it was already fenced. I did get 100 M of hedge laid that I wanted to get done.

This time around if the fees go up ( and I expect they will ) and there is a yearly or biennial visit costing 400 euro it will not be economical to join because like you it will be costing me money.

Mind you consultants are partly to blame as they just signed up lads last time

Have the CP area rules been agreed yet, supposed to be a hold up there too

After checking agfood for registering interest, I'm now apparently in a CP zone, still undecided on what I'll do but will at least look into it a bit more.

AFAIK If its designated then you will get priority access to ACRES without needing other measures