Claims for €50/ha late meadow bonus can be made for ACRES applicants
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) have written to Farm Advisory System (FAS) advisors that claims for the late meadow bonus payment can now be claimed for approved Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) applicants.
The department issued a circular to FAS advisors that the claim can now be made on AgriSnap for all approved ACRES applicants who have the low input grassland (LIG) or low input peat grassland (LIPG) actions as part of their approved applications.
Participants in ACRES, who have LIG or LIPG, have received a text message from the ACRES section, informing them that the late meadow bonus payment can now be claimed by their advisor via AgriSnap and to contact their advisor if they wish to make a claim for this payment.
The earliest date that meadows may be cut for hay/silage is July 1 and the latest date to qualify for the bonus payment is August 31.
FAS advisors may make a claim for their clients by submitting a geo-tagged photograph via AgriSnap, giving a clear representation of the mown meadow.
The photo must be submitted to DAFM on the date of mowing (photos of standing crops are invalid) or within five days after activity (but must be prior to significant grass re-growth).
Please note that the entire Land Parcel Identification System (LPIS) parcel must be suitable for mowing and committed to late meadow bonus payment if a claim is made.
Almost €2.5 million was paid to farmers as part of the hay meadow measure in ACRES IN 2023.
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue provided the information in April as part of a response to a parliamentary question from Sinn Féin TD, Martin Kenny.
The TD requested information about how many hectares of land farmers applied for under the measure and how much was paid out.
The minister stated that the actions in ACRES which may be considered as “the hay meadow measure” are LIG and LIPG.
McConalogue added that the late meadow bonus (LMB) is also available as part of those actions and outlined the detail in the table below.
| Action | No. of applications approved | Area approved (ha) | Paid to-date | Area paid to-date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Low Input Grassland | 17,722 | 130,716.25 | €1,876,534.20 | 48,063.86 |
| Low Input Peat Grassland | 558 | 3,252.86 | €435,062.46 | 1,487.74 |
| Late Meadow Bonus | 1,247 | 5,293.03 | €137,197.45 | 2,743.95 |
| Total | €2,448,794.11 |
The minister said that the payment figures reflect the ACRES General applicants who have been paid their advance payment up to April 2024.
