The 70% advance payment under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) and the Complementary Redistributive Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS) will provide a well needed financial boost for a high percentage of farmers this week.

Payments, which will be made to approved applicants on Tuesday 24 October, can now be viewed through a farmer's agfood.ie portal.

The payments can be viewed under the heading ‘Financial Self-Services’. Once you click on this link you will be brought through to a portal which shows payments for the last 12 months.

The BISS and CRISS payment will be listed as ‘Direct Payments’ with a reference number and herd number also in the title. Clicking on this link will download a breakdown of the payment.

Table 1 details the information contained in this download. The BISS payment comprises approximately 62% of a farmers historic Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payment and is subject to convergence at a rate of 85%. Some farmers will experience significant cuts to the level of payment they received under BPS, while some will record higher payments. For a large percentage of farmers who had entitlements close to the national average, level there will be no change.

The remittance document shows the total BISS payment, how much farmers will receive in the 70% advance and the balance which will be paid on 1 December 2023.

CRISS payments set

The level of payment under the CRISS has been set at €42.34/ha. CRISS is paid on the first 30 eligible hectares. Some farmers with a low entitlement value will benefit from CRISS, while others with high entitlement values at the end of the last CAP and large areas will be net contributors.

Eco scheme payments

Advance 70% payments under the Eco Scheme will commence next week on 31 October with balancing payments of the remaining 30% on 1 December 2023. The payment rate under the Eco Scheme is likely to be in the region of €63 to €65/ha with a high participation rate likely.