The final figures concerning 2024 applications to the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) are expected to be in line with the previous year’s figure of approximately 128,000 applications. This follows a flood of applications submitted in the final few days. The latest figures available from the Department of Agriculture show 112,902 applications submitted as of 13 May. This equates to over 6,000 applications being submitted from 12 to 13 of May, and shows the speed at which applications were being submitted.

With the deadline of midnight on 15 May now passed, attention has turned to late applications and amendments. There is a 25-calendar day period after the 15 May closing date for the acceptance of late applications and any necessary supporting documentation.

Application window

It is important to highlight that such late applications received during this window will be subject to penalties at a rate of 1% in respect of BISS with the exception of cases of force majeure/exceptional circumstances. For example an application submitted on Friday 24 May will be subject to a 7% payment deduction, while applications submitted on the final date of 9 June will be subject to a 16% deduction. Applications submitted from 10 June onwards are subject to a 100% penalty.

The terms and conditions state the same rate of deduction will apply to Eco scheme, Complementary Redistributive Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS), Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers (CIS-YF), Protein Aid, Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC), Agri Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM) and Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP). Payment under any of these Schemes cannot be made in 2024 unless a valid 2024 BISS application is submitted.

Amendment process

The final push to get such a large number of applications submitted, and the fact that weather may have hampered decisions such as crop choice, means there is likely to be significant activity in amending applications in the coming days. Amendments to 2024 BISS and other area-based schemes applications, including the addition of parcels/plots or amendment of an incorrectly claimed area, may be made online up to midnight on 31 May 2024 without a penalty. Once an amendment is completed it becomes part of your 2024 application, therefore care should be taken to ensure they are completed fully and accurately.

Amendments must be made through the agfood.ie portal. The terms and conditions also advise that where a new plot is added, a map outlining the boundaries of that plot should be submitted to the Department through the online map editing system. This also applies where any other supporting documentation, for example if evidence of commonage rights is required.

Late amendments

Late amendments after 31 May 2024, including the addition of parcels/plots or amended claimed areas, will be accepted online up to and including 10 June 2024, subject to a late amendment penalty. The payment on the parcel(s) concerned will be reduced by 1% for each working day in this period that the application is late. The 10 June 2024 is the final date for amendments with penalty less than 100%

Other amendments

There are other instances where a late amendment can be made without a penalty being imposed. The terms and conditions state an applicant may withdraw land, reduce the claimed area of a parcel or change use from eligible to ineligible (for example, the transfer of a house site), from your application without penalty, at any time after the 31 May 2024 closing date for amendments provided:

  • The Department has not notified you about any issues concerning your 2024 BISS application.
  • You have not been notified of an on-the-spot inspection.
  • An on-the-spot inspection does not reveal any non-compliances for the parcel(s) concerned.
  • You have not been either fully or partially paid under the BISS in respect of 2024.

    • Furthermore, an applicant can correct obvious/innocent errors at any time after the 31 May 2024 closing date for amendments. You may also change a declared crop use, with or without an Area Monitoring Scheme (AMS) notification up to midnight on 15 September 2024.

    If changing a tillage crop use without an AMS notification you will be required to provide supporting evidence.

    This can take the form of seed receipts which can be uploaded to your agfood.ie account, or geotag photos which can be emailed to geotag@agriculture.gov.ie