Developed under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM), the ACRES scheme actions aim to reverse biodiversity decline on Irish farms while providing €1.5 billion in income support for up to 50,000 farm families in Ireland.
At Germinal, we have used our expertise to formulate effective and compliant ACRES mixtures that support biodiversity while protecting natural resources in our air, soil, and water.
Keep reading to learn more about the latest ACRES scheme options Germinal is providing in 2024.
Environmental Management of Arable Fallow
The objective is to create a bare fallow field each spring before sowing an autumn catch crop to absorb residual nutrients. You can achieve this with shallow cultivation that is completed on or before 31st March, then leaving the field fallow until 1st July and sowing a catch crop by 15th September.
Winter Bird Food
With this mixture, farmland birds can have a tailored food source to carry them through autumn and winter. A four-way mix containing oats, phacelia, radish, and mustard is available from Germinal. This must be established by 15th May each year and remain in situ until 1st March the following year.
Grass Margins - Arable
Containing cocksfoot, timothy, and red clover, this mixture produces a habitat for pollinators while supporting ground-nesting birds like the Grey partridge. The ground cover also reduces nutrient and sediment runoff, helping to protect water quality. Find our Grass Margins mixture here and establish by 31st August.
Riparian Buffer Strips/ Zones - Arable
Sown beside small streams, surface drains, rivers, lakes, or ponds, this mixture produces riparian buffer zones that help protect water quality by intercepting the loss of sediment and nutrients from soil surfaces after they have been mobilised. Click here to see the full mixture specification and sow by 31st August.
ACRES Catch Crops
Establishing catch crops will reduce nutrient leaching and help prevent soil erosion in autumn and winter. The crop must be sown by 15th September, with a minimum of two species from the prescribed list, which you can see here. At Germinal, we have designed a full range of catch crop mixtures that are ACRES compliant while also delivering tailored solutions for different scenarios, such as minimising soil erosion or reducing nutrient leaching.
Ask Germinal about ACRES scheme actions
For advice on any ACRES mixtures, contact your local Germinal expert below to discuss our 2024 options.
David Little, Area Sales Manager, Northern Ireland
T: 07718 658716
E: [email protected]
Diarmuid Murphy, Area Sales Manager, Southeast/Midlands/West
T: 085 747 3865
E: [email protected]
Claire Bailey Archibald, Area Sales Manager, Northeast
T: 087 470 6908
E: [email protected]
Pat Delaney, Area Sales Manager, South/Southwest
T: 085 841 6477
E: [email protected]