Payments totalling €194.5m commenced on Wednesday to 109,853 farmers, as part of advance payments under the 2025 Eco Scheme. The payment for 2025 has been set at €66/eligible hectare.
The Department confirmed that there were 120,739 applications from farmers for the Eco Scheme in 2025 – and at present 118,034 are eligible for payment.
This equates to 93% of eligible applications paid in the first run. Payments will continue to issue over the coming weeks, as further cases are processed and cleared for payment.
In announcing the payments, Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon said: “I am delighted to confirm that advance payments under the Eco Scheme, worth €194.5m to 109,853 farmers, have commenced.
“The aim of Ireland’s Eco Scheme is to reward farmers for undertaking actions beneficial to the climate, environment, water quality and biodiversity.”
The Department added: “The €194.5m payment today builds on the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) advance payment last week of €511m to over 110,500 farmers, meaning that total advance payments on BISS, CRISS and the Eco Scheme over the last week amounts to over €705m.”
The minister also urged any farmers with outstanding requests for documentation, including for example receipts for planting trees/ hedges for Agricultural Practice 4, to return them to allow payments to issue as soon as possible.
Farmers wishing to contact the Department regarding their Eco Scheme payment can phone the Direct Payments Helpdesk at 057-867-4422. Farmers can also submit any queries they may have online via www.MyAgfood.ie.
Meanwhile, advance payments under the 2025 Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme (ANC), which commenced last month, and 2025 BISS payments, that commenced last week, are continuing as more cases are cleared for payment.
Payments date overview
Areas of Natural Constraint: payments commenced on 17 September and regular pay runs will continue until mid-November, before balancing payments commence in early December. BISS and CRISS: payments commenced on 16 October and weekly pay runs will continue until mid-November, before balancing payments commence in early December. Eco Scheme: payments commenced to eligible applications on 23 October and regular pay runs will continue until mid-November, before balancing payments begin in early December.Sheep Improvement Scheme: advance payments to commence in November and balancing payments in May of following year. ACRES Core: payments to commence by end-November to 100% of cleared cases. Balancing payments before end of May in the following year. CIS-YF and National reserve: 100% of cleared cases to be paid as a complete payment in early December.Protein Aid Scheme: eligible applicants to be paid as a complete payment in mid-December.SCEP: payments to commence to eligible applicants in mid-December.National Beef Welfare Scheme: payments to commence in mid-DecemberNational Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme: payments to commence in early December. National Sheep Welfare Scheme: payments to commence in mid-December to cleared applications. Later payment date of possibly early 2026 for farmers opting to delay completion of certain actions. Organic Farming Scheme: advance payments will commence to eligible applicants in early December. Balancing payments when all inspections are completed. Straw Incorporation Measure: payment to issue to cleared cases in mid-December.2025 Multispecies and Red Clover Silage Sward measures: payments to commence in mid-to-late-December. Forestry grant schemes: 100% payment to cleared cases within six weeks for non-inspection cases, or 12 weeks where inspection is required, in the case of valid/complete applications.Forestry Premium Scheme: annual bulk payment in January but payments continue throughout the year.CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme: payments will be made in March 2026 for the 2025 scheme year.
Payments totalling €194.5m commenced on Wednesday to 109,853 farmers, as part of advance payments under the 2025 Eco Scheme. The payment for 2025 has been set at €66/eligible hectare.
The Department confirmed that there were 120,739 applications from farmers for the Eco Scheme in 2025 – and at present 118,034 are eligible for payment.
This equates to 93% of eligible applications paid in the first run. Payments will continue to issue over the coming weeks, as further cases are processed and cleared for payment.
In announcing the payments, Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon said: “I am delighted to confirm that advance payments under the Eco Scheme, worth €194.5m to 109,853 farmers, have commenced.
“The aim of Ireland’s Eco Scheme is to reward farmers for undertaking actions beneficial to the climate, environment, water quality and biodiversity.”
The Department added: “The €194.5m payment today builds on the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) advance payment last week of €511m to over 110,500 farmers, meaning that total advance payments on BISS, CRISS and the Eco Scheme over the last week amounts to over €705m.”
The minister also urged any farmers with outstanding requests for documentation, including for example receipts for planting trees/ hedges for Agricultural Practice 4, to return them to allow payments to issue as soon as possible.
Farmers wishing to contact the Department regarding their Eco Scheme payment can phone the Direct Payments Helpdesk at 057-867-4422. Farmers can also submit any queries they may have online via www.MyAgfood.ie.
Meanwhile, advance payments under the 2025 Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme (ANC), which commenced last month, and 2025 BISS payments, that commenced last week, are continuing as more cases are cleared for payment.
Payments date overview
Areas of Natural Constraint: payments commenced on 17 September and regular pay runs will continue until mid-November, before balancing payments commence in early December. BISS and CRISS: payments commenced on 16 October and weekly pay runs will continue until mid-November, before balancing payments commence in early December. Eco Scheme: payments commenced to eligible applications on 23 October and regular pay runs will continue until mid-November, before balancing payments begin in early December.Sheep Improvement Scheme: advance payments to commence in November and balancing payments in May of following year. ACRES Core: payments to commence by end-November to 100% of cleared cases. Balancing payments before end of May in the following year. CIS-YF and National reserve: 100% of cleared cases to be paid as a complete payment in early December.Protein Aid Scheme: eligible applicants to be paid as a complete payment in mid-December.SCEP: payments to commence to eligible applicants in mid-December.National Beef Welfare Scheme: payments to commence in mid-DecemberNational Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme: payments to commence in early December. National Sheep Welfare Scheme: payments to commence in mid-December to cleared applications. Later payment date of possibly early 2026 for farmers opting to delay completion of certain actions. Organic Farming Scheme: advance payments will commence to eligible applicants in early December. Balancing payments when all inspections are completed. Straw Incorporation Measure: payment to issue to cleared cases in mid-December.2025 Multispecies and Red Clover Silage Sward measures: payments to commence in mid-to-late-December. Forestry grant schemes: 100% payment to cleared cases within six weeks for non-inspection cases, or 12 weeks where inspection is required, in the case of valid/complete applications.Forestry Premium Scheme: annual bulk payment in January but payments continue throughout the year.CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme: payments will be made in March 2026 for the 2025 scheme year. 
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