Advance payments at a rate of 85% under the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS) will issue to 15,527 farmers this week.
Payments totalling €16.91m are being paid to farmers to provide €12/breeding ewe.
When combined with the €11.50/ewe available under the 2025 National Sheep Welfare Scheme, total payment per ewe is €23.50 in 2025.
Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon said this is a significant increase from the €20/ewe on offer in 2024.
The 15% balancing payment is due to commence in April 2026, according to the Minister.
Importance
"I am acutely aware of the importance of getting payments out to applicants as quickly as possible, on time and in line with the commitments that my Department has signed up to under the Charter of Rights for Farmers," he said.
He added that €33.35m has issued specifically to sheep farmers for support schemes in November alone.
"I want to remind farmers that if they have received correspondence from my Department seeking documentation or clarification, they should respond to that as quickly as possible to allow processing of outstanding cases to continue.
"In addition, I would also like to remind farmers that to continue to be eligible for payment for the two sheep schemes, they must ensure that they submit their annual sheep census returns on time each year," he said.
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