"ACRES Scheme Explained: Get Paid to Grow Biodiversity on Your Farm"

If you're farming in Ireland and not in ACRES yet, you could be leaving serious money on the table. The Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme — ACRES for short — is the Department of Agriculture's flagship agri-environment programme under CAP 2023-2027, and it's designed to pay you directly for doing right by the land. Wildflower margins, pollinator strips, species-rich grassland — these are all actions that ACRES rewards, and the annual payments dwarf the cost of getting started.

Let's break it down.

What Is ACRES?

ACRES replaced the old GLAS scheme and runs from 2023 to 2027. It's funded under Ireland's CAP Strategic Plan and administered by DAFM (the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine). The aim is straightforward: pay farmers to deliver measurable environmental outcomes — cleaner water, better habitats, more biodiversity and climate action.

There are over 50 individual actions you can choose from, many of which involve establishing or maintaining habitats that support pollinators, wild birds and native flora. The scheme is results-based in many areas, meaning higher-quality habitats earn higher payments.

Two Tiers: General and Cooperation

ACRES comes in two flavours.

ACRES General is open to all eligible farmers nationwide. You work with a registered ACRES planner to select actions suited to your farm and submit a plan to DAFM. It's the most accessible route, and the majority of participants are in this tier.

ACRES Cooperation targets specific high-priority landscapes — areas identified for their existing environmental value, such as uplands, river catchments and designated habitats. Cooperation participants work in groups with a local Cooperation Project Team, and payments are generally higher to reflect the landscape-level coordination involved.

Both tiers reward the same core biodiversity actions. If your farm is in a Cooperation area, your ACRES planner will advise you on that during the application process.

Biodiversity Actions That Involve Wildflower Planting

This is where it gets interesting for anyone thinking about wildflower margins or pollinator strips. Several ACRES actions are directly relevant:

• Wild Bird Cover — Establish plots of seed-bearing and nectar-rich plants to support farmland birds and pollinators. Payment rates of up to €1,200 per hectare per year.
• Planting a New Hedgerow — While not a wildflower action per se, hedgerow establishment pairs brilliantly with a wildflower margin at the base. Payments of up to €6 per linear metre.
• Multi-Species Grassland — Oversowing or establishing species-rich grassland mixes that include native wildflowers and legumes.
• Riparian Margins — Buffer strips along watercourses, often sown with native wildflower and grass mixes.
• Conservation of Habitats (Results-Based) — Maintaining or improving species-rich grassland, with payments linked to habitat quality scorecards. Higher biodiversity scores earn higher payments, up to €370 per hectare.

The combined value of these actions, alongside other eligible measures on your plan, can reach up to €10,500 per year — the scheme's annual payment cap for most participants.

The Seed Cost vs the Payment

Here's the thing that surprises most farmers. The cost of wildflower seed for establishing a margin or pollinator strip is genuinely small compared to what ACRES pays you annually for maintaining it.

A typical wildflower margin might be 1.5 metres wide along a field boundary. For a 200-metre stretch, you're looking at 300 square metres of area. A suitable native wildflower mix for that area costs somewhere in the region of €40-€80, depending on the mix. Meanwhile, the annual ACRES payment for that action could be several hundred euro — every single year for the duration of the scheme.

Put simply, the seed pays for itself many times over in the first year alone, and then keeps paying you for the remaining years of your contract. It's one of the best returns on any input you'll buy for the farm.

You Need Native Irish Provenance Seed

Not just any wildflower mix will do. ACRES requires that seed used for habitat establishment is of native Irish provenance, sourced from DAFM-registered suppliers. This is important — it ensures the plants are genetically suited to Irish conditions and won't introduce non-native genetics into sensitive habitats.

At Pollinator Seeds, our mixes are designed with ACRES compliance in mind. We supply native Irish wildflower seed from DAFM-registered sources, and our mixes are formulated to meet the species and provenance requirements of the scheme. If you're establishing wildflower margins, pollinator strips or species-rich grassland under ACRES, our seed is fit for purpose.

You'll Need a Registered ACRES Planner

You can't apply to ACRES on your own — you need to work with a registered ACRES planner (sometimes called an ACRES advisor). Your planner will visit the farm, assess what actions suit your land, draw up a plan and submit it to DAFM on your behalf. They'll also advise on establishment methods, timing and ongoing management.

Your Teagasc advisor or local agricultural consultant can point you to a registered planner, or you can check the DAFM list of approved planners on gov.ie. The planner's fees are a legitimate cost, and many farmers find the process straightforward once they have the right advisor on board.

Timing: When to Apply and When to Sow

DAFM opens application tranches periodically — keep an eye on gov.ie and your ACRES planner for the latest deadlines. Once approved, you'll have establishment windows to hit:

• Autumn sowing (September to October) — The preferred window for most native wildflower mixes. Autumn rain helps germination, and many native species benefit from a period of cold stratification over winter.
• Spring sowing (March to April) — A second window if autumn wasn't feasible. March and April sowings can work well provided the soil is prepared and there's adequate moisture.

If you're planning to establish margins or strips this spring, now is the time to order seed so you're ready to sow when conditions allow. Autumn planners should order by late summer to ensure supply.

The Bigger Picture

ACRES isn't just a payment scheme — it's a shift in how Irish farming values the land. Farmers are already the biggest land managers in the country. ACRES simply recognises that managing land for biodiversity, clean water and carbon storage is real work that deserves real payment.

A wildflower margin along a field boundary doesn't just tick a box on your ACRES plan. It feeds the bees that pollinate your crops and orchards. It shelters the predatory insects that keep aphids and other pests in check. And year on year, it builds soil health at the field edge.

It's good farming and good business.

Get Started with the Right Seed

If you're in ACRES or planning to join, we can help with the seed side of things. Our native wildflower mixes are grown for Irish conditions, supplied from DAFM-registered sources, and designed to meet ACRES habitat requirements.

Browse our ACRES-suitable wildflower mixes or get in touch if you'd like advice on which mix suits your farm and your ACRES plan. We're happy to talk you through it.