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Minister McConalogue announces €452m in advance payments to 104,000 farmers in the second of three October payment runs
Minister McConalogue announces €452m in advance payments to 104,000 farmers in the second of three October payment runs
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, T.D. today announced the commencement of advance payments under the 2023 Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) and Complementary Redistributive Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS).
“This is the second October Tuesday of three that advance payments are issuing to farm families the length and breadth of Ireland. Today, I am delighted to confirm that advance payments under the BISS & CRISS, worth over €452 million to 103,764 farmers, have commenced. This equates to approximately 90% of applicants that are currently eligible. I know just how crucial these payments are for family farm income, but I also recognise how important they are to businesses across the country bringing a welcome boost in cashflow to the rural economy. I am committed to ensuring that these scheme payments continue to issue in the most efficient way possible to ensure that these vital supports are delivered to farmers in a timely manner.”
The BISS & CRISS advance payments are commencing today at a rate of 70%. In previous years Greening payments would have issued with the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) while in 2023 payments under the new Eco-Schemes will commence from next week.
Payments will be visible in farmers’ bank accounts in the coming days and the department will continue to process, as a matter of urgency, all remaining cases for payment as they meet scheme criteria. Farmers with outstanding requests for documentation from the department to return are urged to take immediate action to allow payments to issue.
Payments under the 2023 Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme (ANC), which started last week, are also continuing as more cases are cleared for payment.
Concluding, the Minister said:
"Given the importance of scheme payments to farmers, the Department wrote to all farmers in March and again in September of this year outlining that there had been some changes to payment dates in 2023. I have committed that payment dates for 2024 will revert to the payment schedule in place in previous years once the complexities of delivering a totally new CAP have been worked through.”
To facilitate farmers wishing to contact the department regarding their BISS or ANC payments, extended hours are in place for the Direct Payments Helpdesk. From Tuesday 24 October to Friday 27 October, the Helpdesk will be available up to 8.30pm. Farmers can ring the Helpdesk at 057-8674422. Farmers can also submit any queries they may have online via www.agfood.ie
The EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) is a partnership between society and agriculture that ensures a stable supply of food, safeguards farmers’ income, protects the environment and keeps rural areas vibrant. EU countries implement the CAP at national level with an adopted CAP Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027.
• The Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) replaces the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS). The BISS is designed to provide a direct income support to Irish farmers to underpin their continued sustainability and viability.
• The Complementary Redistributive Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS) is a new scheme that is designed to redistribute CAP funds from larger farms to medium and smaller sized farms.
• The Eco-Scheme has been introduced for the first time as part of the CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027. The aim of the Eco-Scheme is to reward farmers, from all farming sectors and from different levels of intensity, for undertaking actions that are beneficial to the climate, environment, water quality and biodiversity.
• The Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS), Complementary Redistributive Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS) and Eco-Scheme are funded by the EU.