The introduction of a small farmer scheme in Ireland in the next CAP could spare tens of thousands of farmers from onerous process of applying for farm income supports.
The European Commission has said that member states “shall” bring forward a lump sum scheme that could pay up to €3,000 per small farmer that could be administered through “simplified application procedures that will reduce the burden for beneficiaries”. Ireland opted not to define or offer alternative supports to small farmers under the current CAP outside of the front loading of direct payments.
The latest list of CAP beneficiaries shows that there were more than 47,000 farmers who drew down less than €3,000 from the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) scheme.
This equates to just under two out of every five farmers who received BISS funds in the 2025 financial year, indicating that thousands could opt for a lump sum scheme if it were put on the table post-2027.
While €3,000 is maximum lump sum payment proposed for any small farmer scheme, member states may choose to differ payment levels within the scheme “for different groups of farmers or geographical areas”.
SHARING OPTIONS