Fertiliser Exceptional Aid Scheme worth €46.2m announced

Fertiliser aid scheme worth €46.2m to be issued to farmers for fertiliser purchased during price spikes due to the Middle East crisis

The Department of Agriculture has announced a fertiliser aid scheme worth €46.2m.

In an effort to offset cost spikes caused by the ongoing crisis in the Middle East, the department has announced a €46.2m fertiliser aid scheme.

The funding combines Ireland’s €15.38m allocation from the EU Fertiliser Exceptional Aid package with the maximum allowable national top-up of 200% or €30.8m.

The minimum tonnage of chemical fertiliser eligible for payment under the scheme is 2.5 tonnes, and the maximum tonnage for which support will be granted will be up to 100 tonnes.

The rate per tonne will be €40/tonne, and the minimum payment under the Scheme will be €100.

Mr Heydon said: "The continuing volatility in the Middle East has had a significant impact on Irish farm input costs and put pressure on margins.

"I can confirm in response to these pressures that Government has committed the maximum level of national funding, of 200% of EU allocation or €30.8m, allowed under the EU exceptional aid package, which, when coupled with Ireland’s EU funding allocation of €15.4m, provides for total funding of €46.2m for the Fertiliser Exceptional Aid Scheme which will be paid to farmers before the end of the year.” 

To minimise the administrative burden on farmers, the scheme will use existing data on purchases of fertiliser held on the National Fertiliser Database for the 2025 fertiliser year (September 15, 2024 to September 14, 2025) to identify farmers most impacted by higher input costs.

The use of existing data will ensure payments are made to farmers before the end of 2026, meaning farmers will not have to apply to avail of support under the scheme.

Eligibility and payment rates will be based on the following criteria:

• BISS Active Status: Farmers must have submitted valid applications for the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) scheme in 2026;
• National Fertiliser Database (NFD) registration: Farmers must be registered on the National Fertiliser Database as a Fertiliser End User (FEU);
• Fertiliser purchase data: Payments will be calculated directly from purchasing data recorded on the NFD for the 2025 fertiliser year.

New entrant farmers who may not have a record of fertiliser purchased in the 2025 fertiliser year must have submitted a BISS application in 2026, and their purchase record for 2026 will be used to calculate a payment.

Eligibility for horticultural producers

Horticultural producers who may not submit BISS applications will be required to have a 2026 department-issued Plant Health Registration Number or Horticulture Food Registration Number to be considered eligible for the scheme.

The department will take an extract of data from the NFD on October 23, 2026, and the amount of fertiliser per farmer recorded on the database at this time will determine eligibility for the scheme and be used as the basis for calculating payments.

Farmers and the merchants they sourced their fertiliser from are asked to ensure all purchasing record data for the 2025 fertiliser year on the NFD is fully accurate and up to date ahead of the October 23 deadline.

The department has announced that further details regarding the exact payment rates per tonne of fertiliser to be paid under the scheme will be published in the coming weeks.