Minister extends deadline for farming fuel support scheme

The Fuel Income Support Scheme payment will be issued as one lump-sum per applicant to cover a full five-month period, rather than monthly payments

The Fuel Income Support Scheme deadline has been extended to June 2.

The deadline for the ‘Fuel Income Support Scheme’ has been extended to midnight on Tuesday, June 2.

Originally set to close this week, May 27, minister for agriculture, Martin Heydon, announced the extensions due to the large volume of applications received by the department over the last few days.

“As I am conscious that farmers will be extremely busy during the current spell of weather, I am extending the deadline for the fuel support scheme. I want to ensure that no one is left behind and that as many farmers and farm contractors as possible have the opportunity to apply," the minister explained.

The fuel income support scheme is open to farmers, as well as agricultural and forestry contractors and will cover the months of March up to the end of July. It will be issued as one lump-sum payment per applicant to cover a full five-month period, rather than monthly payments.

Applicants eligible for the scheme must be an ‘active’ farmer, agricultural or forestry contractors or new entrant farmers, and will be asked to supply their usage for the 12 months of 2025 based on receipted expenditure.

Farmers can apply online via MyAgFood, and contractors can download the necessary forms from the department’s website and submit completed forms and receipts to the email: [e-mail] or to the postal address provided on the forms.

The minister said: “The application process is very straightforward, so I would urge farmers and contractors who have not yet applied to do so in the coming days. The average contractor is using around 70,000 litres of diesel a year, and this payment will assist their businesses at a time of high fuel usage and associated cost.” 

Currently, it is anticipated that about 20cpl of the estimated usage over the five months will be the basis of the payment. This figure is to be finalised once all claims have been submitted.

Minister Heydon said: “I have ensured that support is directed to those impacted by the price increase and who are actively engaged in producing our food and managing our forests, and I now urge anyone who wants to avail of this support to do so before Tuesday night next, 2 June.” 

Applicants wishing to contact the department regarding the Fuel Income Support Scheme can ring the Direct Payments Helpline at 057-8674422 or email [e-mail].