The Department of Agriculture has begun issuing scorecards for 2025 in respect of lands on which results-based payments are made under the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES). The scorecards started issuing on 3 June through the Department’s AgriSnap facility, which is used to score and photograph relevant land parcels. Scorecards must be submitted by 31 August 2025.

The results-based scorecards are a fundamental element of ACRES, with over 170,000 issued across 10 scorecard types in respect of tranche one farmers in 2023.

A high percentage of scorecards are applicable to farmers in ACRES Co-operation areas. Table 1 details the breakdown in scorecards and the associated area of each type for tranche one participants at the end of 2023. As can be readily seen, peatland is by far the most common type of land scored, followed by grasslands.

Rescoring lands

Farmers/advisers had the opportunity to opt to have lands scored again. As can be seen in Table 2, there was a sizeable area of lands rescored in year two, with the largest percentage of lands selected for scoring in 2025. Many farmers/advisers opted for this approach to balance other work commitments/scoring of lands for tranche two participants and allow time for farmers to implement changes to positively influence the potential score granted.

Under the terms and conditions of ACRES, lands assigned as results-based must be scored three times over the duration of the contract, with the typical format being years one, three and five. The Department reports that a significant area of commonage (est. 420,000ha scored) is farmed under the ACRES umbrella, with approximately 85% of all commonages in Ireland managed under ACRES CP.

The majority of commonage lands is scored by ACRES Co-operation project teams with contractors employed by the Department scoring non-CP commonages while advisors score smaller commonages.

Scorecard deadline

The Department outlines that the deadline for submission of completed scorecards is 31 August 2025: “All scorecards (CP results-based scorecards and scorecards for general actions) for each holding must be submitted within 14 days of initiating the first scorecard. The last day for submission of scorecards to the Department is 31 August each year.”

Once an ACRES scorecard has been submitted, it will not be possible to make further changes to it. The Department has informed approved ACRES advisers that it is “essential that advisers are fully satisfied that scorecards are correct at the time of submission”.

ACRES-approved advisers are currently undertaking mandatory scorecard training.

“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 adviser who has completed mandatory in-field scorecard training in 2025, with courses currently being provided.”

Mowing

It is important to note that fields should not be recently mown/topped before scoring as there needs to be sufficient growing vegetation present to score the area. A geo-tagged photograph submitted via the AgriSnap App giving a clear representation of the scored field must accompany each scorecard. Indicator species occurring in the boundaries and margins and not otherwise represented in the main part of the field cannot be counted in the scorecard.

Therefore, it is important to make contact with your advisor if you plan to mow low-input grassland for example. The mowing/topping of grasslands under a number of actions in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES) is permitted from 1 July.

These include the actions of extensively grazed pasture and low input grassland (LIG)/low input peat grassland (LIPG) and management of intensive grassland next to a watercourse.

LIG and LIPG, which is mown for hay or silage, is eligible for a late meadow bonus payment of €50/ha, but a photo must be submitted of such within five days of mowing, so it is important to keep in contact with your adviser if heading down this route.