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DAFM issues update on 2025 ACRES scorecards

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has issued an update on the scoring of lands under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) this year. In a circular to advisors, the department said that scorecards for ACRES participants (in both tranches) whose contracts include non-commonage results-based actions are planned for issue by the department from Tuesday, June 3, 2025. The scorecards cover the low input grassland action, the low input peat grassland action and holdings covered by the ACRES Co-operation Project (CP) approach. The department told advisors that the deadline for return of completed scorecards is August 31, 2025. ACRES DAFM noted that for the scores submitted to be deemed valid and used in the determination of ACRES payments in respect of 2025, they must be submitted by an approved ACRES advisor who has completed mandatory in-field scorecard training in 2025. Advisors who have completed this training before are required to attend a refresher course in 2025. There will also be mandatory scorecard training courses provided for new ACRES advisors who were only approved since the provision of scorecard training in 2024. The department outlined that the training courses will take place across a range of dates and locations, with the majority taking place from May 27 to June 16. DAFM urged advisors to book into their preferred course as soon as possible 'as no further courses are being scheduled'. 'Scorecards submitted by advisors who have not completed the mandatory scorecard training will not pass prepayment validations when the relevant ACRES contracts are being processed for payment and will result in the ACRES participant not being paid for the action(s) in question and may result in the rejection of these action(s) from their contracts,' the department added. Soil sample results Meanwhile, the department has reminded advisors that the final date for the uploading of the soil sample results, or a soil sample exemption form, for ACRES tranche 1 contracts is this Wednesday (April 30). DAFM said that soil sampling is a key requirement of the agri-environmental scheme. 'The penalty for non-submission of soil sampling results/soil sample exemption form is a review of the continued participation of your client in the scheme, with a possibility of termination of contract and recoupment of monies paid,' it said. The relevant documents must be uploaded on the ACRES system by an approved ACRES advisor, documents submitted by post or email will not be accepted. Soil samples taken on or after January 1, 2022 will be considered valid.