The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed that the first round of Area Monitoring System (AMS) notifications will be sent to farmers later this month.

The AMS is the observation and assessment of agricultural activities and practices on agricultural areas.

The system uses Copernicus Sentinel satellite data which is gathered automatically every five days and stored to provide up-to-date information as required.

Under the current Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), the AMS is mandatory across all EU member states to monitor compliance with farm scheme criteria.

The AMS interprets satellite imagery to provide decisions on agricultural activity on all declared land parcels of which there are approximately 1.1 million in Ireland.

The department is monitoring all area-based schemes with data gathered by the system.

DAFM spokesperson told Agriland:"The first round of AMS notifications will focus on the presence of potential artificial surfaces and will issue end of June with a deadline for receipt of responses of July 8, 2025."

"The second round of notifications will issue mid-July and will notify on potential non-compliance detected for incorrect crops, potential ineligible areas, and no evidence of agricultural activity.

"The third round of notifications will issue mid-August and will notify on potential non-compliance detected for incorrect crops, potential ineligible areas, no evidence of agricultural activity and no evidence of ACRES winter bird food.

"The deadline for receipt of completed responses for both rounds 2 and 3 will be 2nd September 2025," the spokesperson added.

DAFM issued over 5,800 notifications to landowners this year due to potential scheme issues being detected through the AMS.