A total of seven actions under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) will be monitored for compliance using satellite technology this year.

The Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM) has said it will continue to use the Area Monitoring System (AMS) to ensure that area-based schemes, including ACRES, have met their eligibility requirements for 2025.

AMS involves the regular and systematic observation, tracking and assessment of agricultural activities and practices on agricultural areas using Copernicus Sentinel Satellite data.

Last year, AMS monitored two ACRES actions, Extensively Grazed Pasture and Winter Bird Food, as part of the 2024 ACRES checks.

This year, the deparment has confirmed that a further five actions will be added, as follows:

Brassica Fodder Stubble: AMS will check for establishment of catch crop;
Catch Crops: AMS will check for establishment of catch crop;
Environmental Management of Arable Fallow: AMS will check for establishment
of catch crop;
Extensively Grazed Pasture: AMS will check for mowing events during the
restricted period, from March 15 to July 1;
Riparian Buffer Zone - Arable: AMS will check for the presence of a grass crop
and mowing events during the restricted period, from March 1 to August 31;
Riparian Buffer Zone - Grassland: AMS will check for the presence of a grass crop
and mowing events during the restricted period, from March 1 to August 31;
Winter Bird Food: AMS will check for establishment of Winter Bird Food crop by
May 15.

This brings to seven the total number of ACRES specific actions that will be monitored by AMS in 2025.

The AMS interprets Sentinel satellite imagery which then enables DAFM to determine agricultural activities on the 1.3 million declared land parcels in the country.

The parcels monitored by AMS will have colour-coded results: green, yellow, or red.

DAFM said that parcels flagged as green and yellow indicate a degree of confidence that the land details in the farmer’s application has been verified by AMS and payments can be made.

However, a land parcel flagged as red indicates an error which may result in a notification being issued to the applicant on their BISS online account, along with a request to submit geotagged photographs using the department's Agrisnap app.

An error could include an ineligible crop sown to meet the requirements of a particular scheme, an incorrect crop declared on BISS (different to what AMS has identified on the ground) or the presence of an ineligible feature such as a roadway or residence.

The department noted that AMS may be complemented with follow up checks on the ground by an inspector to provide further clarification.

DAFM added that failure to respond to an AMS notification and to submit an Agrisnap may result in a delay to scheme payments.