How a technical delay bars farmers from share of €735m sustainability supports
There are several other lucrative schemes open to farmers if they correctly carry out the area-based application between February and early June. File picture
Every year, some Irish farmers are unable to bear the bureaucratic burden of the online area-based application for income supports, mostly funded by the EU.
Around €700m of the support for 2025 has now been paid out, but nothing went to at least 78 farmers, because they failed to make the application in time.
The 2025 application period opened in early February, and farmers could become eligible for 100% of their payments by applying before May 15. A late application period up to early June allowed laggards to qualify for payments, but subject to a percentage penalty increasing to 100% at the final deadline.
This year, 132 farmers' applications were refused, because of a 100% penalty for applying after June 6. The application is needed by around 120,000 farmers claiming a total of approximately €735m of Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) payments.
It is also needed for the Complementary Income Support for Sustainability total of €118m, also paid to 120,000 farmers. Some 98% of these farmers also benefit from the Eco-scheme, with funding of €297m annually, if they apply on time.
The same goes for the Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers worth approximately €35m to 6,500 applicants. The Areas of Natural Constraints Scheme, previously known as the Disadvantaged Areas Scheme, has funding of some €250m annually for almost 100,000 farmers, if they apply correctly.
There are several other lucrative schemes open to farmers if they correctly carry out the area-based application between February and early June. However, many fail to do so each year. In 2024, 270 applications were received too late, and were refused.
This year, 124,195 applied correctly, and 117,597 were deemed eligible. The number of eligible applications (with entitlements) for 2025 will increase, as application processing is finalised for farmers who applied for a new herd number, or a change in farm structure, such as setting up a company.
Not all area-based applicants are entitled to payment; for example, not all applicants hold payment entitlements. Some applications may be submitted only to facilitate payment under another scheme, such as the Areas of Natural Constraints scheme.
The DAFM says the primary reason for payments not issuing is because the applicant does not hold entitlements, or may have indicated that they are not farming the land. "The primary reason an otherwise eligible applicant is refused payment is that the application was submitted late", said the DAFM.
But all was not lost for the applicants who submitted after June 6 in 2024 and 2025. In 2024, 120 of the 270 whose late applications were refused appealed the refusal, and 102 were successful.
In 2025, so far, 35 of the 132 late applicants appealed, with 19 successful and one unsuccessful. In both years, many of the late applications came from counties Galway and Mayo, totaling 60 in 2024 and 30 in 2025.
