Farm payment cut offset by 8% top-up

DAERA has issued an unexpected payment to NI farmers, which has more than made up for cuts to entitlement values earlier this year.

All farms in NI had a 6.5% deduction applied to the value of Farm Sustainability Payment (FSP) entitlements in the 2025 scheme year.

The cut was mainly used to free up money for the new Suckler Cow Scheme and it followed on from a 9% cut in 2024 to fund the Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme.

In early September 2025, DAERA issued FSP money based on the new entitlements, but a second payment was made last week, which equates to 8% of entitlement values.

A spokesperson for DAERA has indicated that last week’s payment effectively came from leftover funding from the 2024/2025 agricultural budget.

“This budget was fully spent, with farmers receiving the majority of their payments in September 2024, however, a final payment was made recently,” the spokesperson confirmed.

The top-up wont affect payments under the new Suckler Cow Scheme, which are expected in summer 2026, or the second year of the Beef Carbon Reduction Scheme, which are due in early 2026.