PAYMENTS are being made to 4,148 farmers as part of the Non-Productive Investments section of the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (Acres) Co-Operation Scheme in 2023.
The payments are to farmers who were successful or partially successful in applications for Non-Productive Investments (NPIs), which are agreed environmental investments or supporting actions that can help the environmental management of a farm.
Applications, in the form of NPI Annual Work plans, were prepared and submitted by Acres advisors on behalf of their clients.
The activities, which are being carried out by more than 4,100 farmers across Ireland, are aimed at enhancing environmental integrity and improving biodiversity and water quality.
Examples of the actions being funded by the Department under the ACRES Non-Productive Investment (NPI) programme include the installation of bat boxes and nest boxes for barn owls and kestrels, the erection of gates and electric fencing to prevent over and under grazing, and the movement of water troughs to optimum locations.
‘These investments are an integral element of Acres that support farmers to take specific measures to enhance environmental outcomes on their holdings, and thereby increase their payments under the scheme. The 34,085 actions being undertaken by farmers all around Ireland are vital to maintaining environmental integrity and increasing biodiversity,’ said Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue.
The ‘Acres CP NPI-Annual Works Plan 2023 Approval Summary’ will be posted online on the Department of Agriculture website and farmers who applied will receive hard copies to issue in the post in January 2025.
This summary will give the details of the approved NPIs, and will include maps, by parcel, showing the location of approved NPIs on the holding.
The 2024 application window for NPIs opened on September 17th 2024 and closed on October 31st.
