Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS)
The BISS will replace the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS). Farmers will be required to apply online each year, declare their land and hold an eligible hectare for each entitlement. Payments will be based on entitlements held for each eligible hectare and entitlements can continue to be traded, sold, gifted and inherited.
Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers (CISYF)
This scheme is to encourage and facilitate educated young farmers setting up for the first time as the head of an agricultural holding solely or jointly. It will provide income support for young farmers for up to five years and will build on the current Young Farmer Scheme.
Farmers must be no more than 40 years of age during the year which they first submit an application.
Areas of Natural
Constraint (ANC)
The ANC scheme would be rolled over in its current form, with the same payment rates depending on the constraint category of land. To be eligible, farmers must carry out an agricultural activity, hold land for the scheme year and meet stocking requirements. The Department is considering making it a requirement that farmers would need to qualify as an “active farmer” to apply.
Flagship agri-environment measure
The Department has proposed that there be one national agri-environment climate measure, made up of prescription-based measures (one size fits all) and results-based measures. Farmers would choose between two “menus” of options.
Actions
There are three targeted areas under the next flagship agri-environment scheme: climate, biodiversity and water quality.
The Department has proposed the following measures to improve these areas – habitat enhancement/creation, food for birds/insects, hedgerows/tree planting, arable-based habitats, water quality, soil health, heritage, genetic resources, protection and management of semi-natural habitats, high priority conservation measures (uplands, birds, Natura), results-based elements (grassland, commonage/upland), preparation of farm sustainability plan and farmer training.
Menu A measures
Menu A would see farmers carry out both prescription-based (one size fits all) measures and results-based measures. There would be a fixed rate of payment for the prescription-based measures and payments under the results-based measures would depend on the results achieved.
Prescription-based measures would focus on habitat enhancement/creation, while the results-based measures would build on the REAP scheme measures – low-input grassland and multi-species ley.
Menu B measures
It is proposed that farmers who take up menu B will have the same list of actions available to them as menu A.
In addition, they will carry out “landscape co-operation measures”.
Local project teams will assist the farmer to implement the scheme at local level and there will be “non-productive investments”.
“Results-based approaches will be used where appropriate and will use action-based options when necessary to help improve habitat scores,” the Department said. 
Training course
Farmers are to take part in two training courses, with the first to be mandatory.
The first course is to include the green architecture model, environmental, biodiversity, water quality and climate challenges, health and safety, and information on the actions, records, inspections under the scheme.
A second course would include ongoing management, issues arising and development.
Organic Farming Scheme
This would be a five-year scheme with the aim of increasing the area under organic farming but prioritising areas in deficit.
It is proposed that in order to be eligible to apply, farmers must complete a FETAC Level 5 course in organic farming and hold an organic licence.
There would be a minimum stocking density in the scheme and total farm conversion would be prioritised.
Mixed farms, young farmers and “intensive” farmers would be targeted to take part.
The Department has proposed that organic farmers would have priority access to the flagship agri-environmental scheme and wants to consider how the organic scheme will work with the eco-scheme and agri-forestry in order to “maximise synergies”.
On-farm investment scheme
A replacement to TAMS II is on the table, with grant aid to be provided for environmental investments, animal welfare, nutrient storage, tillage farmers, young farmers, organics and farm safety.
The scheme will be tranche-based and ranking and selection criteria would be applied.
In order to be eligible to apply, it is proposed farmers must be an active farmer, aged 18 or over, and hold a herd number/flock number/tillage or Department identifier.
Farmers will also have to declare a minimum of 5ha (or 1ha for horticulture producers) of “eligible land” owned and/or leased or rented which has been declared under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) in the year of application or preceding year.
Young farmers must be aged no more than 40 at any time during the calendar year in which she or he submits the application and must “meet the conditions for being ‘head of the holding’ and the requirements for the appropriate training and/or skills”, the Department said.
Grant rates of 40% to 60% are proposed.
The scheme budget, ceilings and rates of maximum support will be decided once the EU CAP talks conclude.
Suckler carbon and environment measure
Two measures are proposed under this scheme and both will operate on a five-year contract basis.
Measure A: This will apply to farmers who completed the entire duration of their BDGP contract, excluding the transitional period.
Measure B: This will apply to farmers who were not in BDGP before and those who were in BDGP but did not complete the contract. 
There will be four mandatory actions in the scheme. They are the same for both measures A and B, but with different targets. “All these four actions must be undertaken by the participant in each year of the contract.
“Separately, there are three complementary actions that participants can opt to select if they so wish. If they select one or both of these complementary actions, they must be undertaken in each year of the contract. The complementary actions are the same for measures A and B,” according to the Department. Targets will be based on a historical reference year which will provide a ceiling for payment. However, there will be scope to reduce numbers without penalty.
Actions
Mandatory actions: replacement strategy, genotyping, weighing, data recording/carbon capture.
Complementary actions: meal feeding/vaccination, forage quality, faecal egg testing.
Mandatory half-day livestock handling course to be completed before the end of year two.
Dairy beef welfare measure
This will build on the dairy beef pilot launched in 2021 and the scheme will implement some of the actions identified in Ag Climatise for the dairy sector.
The Department wants to see the increased used of sexed semen, increased genotyping and use of high-dairy-beef-index (DBI) bulls/straws to “facilitate greater integration into the national beef herd”.
The scheme consists of two measures and a training course:
1. Young calf measure (dairy farmers only).
2. Growing calf measure (both dairy farmers with a beef enterprise and beef farmers eligible).
There will be 17,000 dairy farmers eligible for the young calf measure and these 17,000 farmers and a further 83,000 cattle farmers will be eligible for the growing calf measure.
Actions
Young calf measure: farmers must choose either sexed semen or genotyping plus either high-DBI AI or beef stock bull.
Growing calf measure: farmers must choose either calf weighing (under 12 months) or weighing dairy beef animals (under 24 months) plus either parasite control or forage quality testing.
Sheep improvement scheme
This scheme will build on the current Sheep Welfare Scheme, with actions to improve animal health and welfare in the
sector. Farmers could be
subject to a “sheep welfare audit”.
To apply, farmers would need a flock number, hold breeding ewes and submit a sheep census.
A new measure proposed is the genotyping of rams. The budget would be limited by a historical reference period, yet to be chosen.
Others
The Department has said support should be enhanced to establish beef and sheep producer organisations (POs) and is considering supporting POs in the potato, cereal and amenity plant sectors.
Protein Aid Scheme to be continued.Knowledge Transfer groups to return. Advisers to be trained.More pages in the farm payment rulebook from 2023
Cross-compliance will be replaced by enhanced conditionality in the next CAP, bringing with it an increased set of standards farmers must meet to receive their direct payment.
There will be a number of adjustments to Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAECs) and the Department of Agriculture has set out what these mean for Irish farmers.
The measures set out in Greening are to be incorporated into GAECs.
Farmers will be required to maintain permanent grassland to prevent the conversion of soils to other agricultural uses.
This will also cover a ban on ploughing or converting environmentally sensitive permanent grassland.
Tillage farmers will be required to carry out crop rotation but will not receive a Greening payment for doing so. Ecological-focus areas (EFAs) will also become a mandatory requirement.
It is still to be decided if the 5% EFA rule will apply only to tillage farmers or all farmers. Catch crops or nitrogen-fixing crops as well as landscape features may be considered.
A new requirement to protect peatlands and wetlands will be introduced but the management requirements under this GAEC are not yet specified.
Buffer strips along watercourses will be introduced for all farms but the required width is undecided.
Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS)
The BISS will replace the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS). Farmers will be required to apply online each year, declare their land and hold an eligible hectare for each entitlement. Payments will be based on entitlements held for each eligible hectare and entitlements can continue to be traded, sold, gifted and inherited.
Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers (CISYF)
This scheme is to encourage and facilitate educated young farmers setting up for the first time as the head of an agricultural holding solely or jointly. It will provide income support for young farmers for up to five years and will build on the current Young Farmer Scheme.
Farmers must be no more than 40 years of age during the year which they first submit an application.
Areas of Natural
Constraint (ANC)
The ANC scheme would be rolled over in its current form, with the same payment rates depending on the constraint category of land. To be eligible, farmers must carry out an agricultural activity, hold land for the scheme year and meet stocking requirements. The Department is considering making it a requirement that farmers would need to qualify as an “active farmer” to apply.
Flagship agri-environment measure
The Department has proposed that there be one national agri-environment climate measure, made up of prescription-based measures (one size fits all) and results-based measures. Farmers would choose between two “menus” of options.
Actions
There are three targeted areas under the next flagship agri-environment scheme: climate, biodiversity and water quality.
The Department has proposed the following measures to improve these areas – habitat enhancement/creation, food for birds/insects, hedgerows/tree planting, arable-based habitats, water quality, soil health, heritage, genetic resources, protection and management of semi-natural habitats, high priority conservation measures (uplands, birds, Natura), results-based elements (grassland, commonage/upland), preparation of farm sustainability plan and farmer training.
Menu A measures
Menu A would see farmers carry out both prescription-based (one size fits all) measures and results-based measures. There would be a fixed rate of payment for the prescription-based measures and payments under the results-based measures would depend on the results achieved.
Prescription-based measures would focus on habitat enhancement/creation, while the results-based measures would build on the REAP scheme measures – low-input grassland and multi-species ley.
Menu B measures
It is proposed that farmers who take up menu B will have the same list of actions available to them as menu A.
In addition, they will carry out “landscape co-operation measures”.
Local project teams will assist the farmer to implement the scheme at local level and there will be “non-productive investments”.
“Results-based approaches will be used where appropriate and will use action-based options when necessary to help improve habitat scores,” the Department said.
Training course
Farmers are to take part in two training courses, with the first to be mandatory.
The first course is to include the green architecture model, environmental, biodiversity, water quality and climate challenges, health and safety, and information on the actions, records, inspections under the scheme.
A second course would include ongoing management, issues arising and development.
Organic Farming Scheme
This would be a five-year scheme with the aim of increasing the area under organic farming but prioritising areas in deficit.
It is proposed that in order to be eligible to apply, farmers must complete a FETAC Level 5 course in organic farming and hold an organic licence.
There would be a minimum stocking density in the scheme and total farm conversion would be prioritised.
Mixed farms, young farmers and “intensive” farmers would be targeted to take part.
The Department has proposed that organic farmers would have priority access to the flagship agri-environmental scheme and wants to consider how the organic scheme will work with the eco-scheme and agri-forestry in order to “maximise synergies”.
On-farm investment scheme
A replacement to TAMS II is on the table, with grant aid to be provided for environmental investments, animal welfare, nutrient storage, tillage farmers, young farmers, organics and farm safety.
The scheme will be tranche-based and ranking and selection criteria would be applied.
In order to be eligible to apply, it is proposed farmers must be an active farmer, aged 18 or over, and hold a herd number/flock number/tillage or Department identifier.
Farmers will also have to declare a minimum of 5ha (or 1ha for horticulture producers) of “eligible land” owned and/or leased or rented which has been declared under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) in the year of application or preceding year.
Young farmers must be aged no more than 40 at any time during the calendar year in which she or he submits the application and must “meet the conditions for being ‘head of the holding’ and the requirements for the appropriate training and/or skills”, the Department said.
Grant rates of 40% to 60% are proposed.
The scheme budget, ceilings and rates of maximum support will be decided once the EU CAP talks conclude.
Suckler carbon and environment measure
Two measures are proposed under this scheme and both will operate on a five-year contract basis.
Measure A: This will apply to farmers who completed the entire duration of their BDGP contract, excluding the transitional period.
Measure B: This will apply to farmers who were not in BDGP before and those who were in BDGP but did not complete the contract.
There will be four mandatory actions in the scheme. They are the same for both measures A and B, but with different targets. “All these four actions must be undertaken by the participant in each year of the contract.
“Separately, there are three complementary actions that participants can opt to select if they so wish. If they select one or both of these complementary actions, they must be undertaken in each year of the contract. The complementary actions are the same for measures A and B,” according to the Department. Targets will be based on a historical reference year which will provide a ceiling for payment. However, there will be scope to reduce numbers without penalty.
Actions
Mandatory actions: replacement strategy, genotyping, weighing, data recording/carbon capture.
Complementary actions: meal feeding/vaccination, forage quality, faecal egg testing.
Mandatory half-day livestock handling course to be completed before the end of year two.
Dairy beef welfare measure
This will build on the dairy beef pilot launched in 2021 and the scheme will implement some of the actions identified in Ag Climatise for the dairy sector.
The Department wants to see the increased used of sexed semen, increased genotyping and use of high-dairy-beef-index (DBI) bulls/straws to “facilitate greater integration into the national beef herd”.
The scheme consists of two measures and a training course:
1. Young calf measure (dairy farmers only).
2. Growing calf measure (both dairy farmers with a beef enterprise and beef farmers eligible).
There will be 17,000 dairy farmers eligible for the young calf measure and these 17,000 farmers and a further 83,000 cattle farmers will be eligible for the growing calf measure.
Actions
Young calf measure: farmers must choose either sexed semen or genotyping plus either high-DBI AI or beef stock bull.
Growing calf measure: farmers must choose either calf weighing (under 12 months) or weighing dairy beef animals (under 24 months) plus either parasite control or forage quality testing.
Sheep improvement scheme
This scheme will build on the current Sheep Welfare Scheme, with actions to improve animal health and welfare in the
sector. Farmers could be
subject to a “sheep welfare audit”.
To apply, farmers would need a flock number, hold breeding ewes and submit a sheep census.
A new measure proposed is the genotyping of rams. The budget would be limited by a historical reference period, yet to be chosen.
Others
The Department has said support should be enhanced to establish beef and sheep producer organisations (POs) and is considering supporting POs in the potato, cereal and amenity plant sectors.
Protein Aid Scheme to be continued.Knowledge Transfer groups to return. Advisers to be trained.More pages in the farm payment rulebook from 2023
Cross-compliance will be replaced by enhanced conditionality in the next CAP, bringing with it an increased set of standards farmers must meet to receive their direct payment.
There will be a number of adjustments to Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAECs) and the Department of Agriculture has set out what these mean for Irish farmers.
The measures set out in Greening are to be incorporated into GAECs.
Farmers will be required to maintain permanent grassland to prevent the conversion of soils to other agricultural uses.
This will also cover a ban on ploughing or converting environmentally sensitive permanent grassland.
Tillage farmers will be required to carry out crop rotation but will not receive a Greening payment for doing so. Ecological-focus areas (EFAs) will also become a mandatory requirement.
It is still to be decided if the 5% EFA rule will apply only to tillage farmers or all farmers. Catch crops or nitrogen-fixing crops as well as landscape features may be considered.
A new requirement to protect peatlands and wetlands will be introduced but the management requirements under this GAEC are not yet specified.
Buffer strips along watercourses will be introduced for all farms but the required width is undecided.
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