Farmers will be relieved to hear that scheme payments announced by the Department of Agriculture ‘remain on schedule’ and that the priority in the Department is “making these payments as quickly as possible” (see page 16). Scheme payments are set to commence next week, with advance payments under the Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) commencing on Tuesday 17 October.

The advance payment is 85% of the total payment and in recent years has delivered a cash injection of €180m to €190m to the farming economy. The ANC payment date is a month later than in previous years and many service providers, such as mart managers, agri-contractors and merchants, have commented that the delay has tightened cashflow and spending at farm level.

Some mart managers in particular are expecting a boost to sales in the coming weeks, with payments under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) and the Eco Scheme, following the ANC payments in quick succession.

ADVERTISEMENT

Advance payments (70%) under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) will commence from 24 October 2023 to applicants cleared for payment, a week later than the usual payment date of 16 October. Farmers will witness a significant change to the system of payments they have become accustomed to under the Basic Payment Scheme over the last decade.

The BISS payment comprises over 60% of historic entitlement values. The level of payment will change for many farmers, as a move from 60% to 85% convergence comes in to effect. Farmers can check what payment they are due to receive in 2023 via their agfood.ie account.

This can be viewed by entering the BISS portal from the agfood.ie homepage and then selecting ‘Entitlement Position’. Note this figure states the number of entitlements a farmer has at the start of 2023 and does not take account of pending transactions concerning the transfer of entitlements.

Letters continue to issue to farmers concerning the approval of transfer of entitlement applications. The Department has previously explained that these are being issued in order of receipt.

CRISS and Eco Scheme

Advance payments under the new Complementary Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS) will also commence on 24 October. This payment is worth in the region of €43/ha and will be paid on a maximum of 30ha. The new Eco Scheme advance payment, which is expected to be in the region of €65/ha to €66/ha, will commence a week later, from 31 October 2023.

The Department’s CAP and livestock calculator (https://cap-calculators.apps.services.agriculture.gov.ie/) is a useful tool to allow applicants to get an idea of their level of payment in 2023. Alternatively, a farmer’s statement of entitlements can be used to determine the BISS payment, with the CRISS and Eco Scheme payment calculated separately.

A full list of autumn payment dates across schemes can be found online at www.farmersjournal.ie.