Applications under the 2025 Basic Income Support for Sustainability have been flowing in at a fast pace over the last week ahead of the deadline of midnight on Thursday 15 May. The Department of Agriculture’s helpdesk has been operating extended opening hours over the last week and has been a great aid in addressing last-minute queries.
It will remain active right up until the deadline. The contact number is 057 8674422.
The Department also explains that: “Staff will also be available to assist at the public counter in the Department office in Portlaoise during these extended opening hours. In-person consultations are available until half an hour before closing time on each of the days.”
The 2025 BISS terms and conditions state that there is a 25-calendar day period after the 15 May closing date for the acceptance of late applications and any necessary supporting documentation. However, deductions to payments at a rate of 1% per working day in respect of BISS will apply to late applications which are received during this period.
The only exception to this is in cases of force majeure / exceptional circumstances. In such instances applications can be accepted after this 25-calendar day period, but the terms and conditions outline they will be subject to late application penalties.
Rate of deduction
The same rate of deduction will also apply to Eco scheme, Complementary Redistributive Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS), Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers (CIS-YF), Protein Aid Scheme, Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC), Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM) and the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP).
Amendment facility
Payment under any of these schemes cannot be made in 2025 unless a valid 2025 BISS application is submitted. It is therefore critical that a BISS application is submitted before the deadline. Farmers who still have land parcels to finalise can submit their application and avail of the amendment facility.
Amendments to 2025 BISS and other area-based schemes applications, including the addition of parcels/plots, may be made without a penalty online up to 31 May 2025.
“If an applicant needs to amend an incorrectly claimed area or need to add parcels/plots to their 2025 application, this amendment must be submitted via the online system by the 31 May 2025 deadline. Amendments should be completed fully and accurately as they will become part of your 2025 BISS Application”.
The Department advises where a new plot is added, a map outlining the boundaries of that plot should be submitted through the online map editing system. This also applies where any other supporting documentation, for example, evidence of Commonage rights, is required.
Late amendments
Amendments after 31 May 2025 (late amendments) with additional parcels/plots or amended claimed areas will be accepted online up to and including 10 June 2025 with a penalty. The Department explains payment on the parcel(s) concerned will be reduced by 1% for each working day in this period that the amendment is late. The 10 June 2025 is the last date for amendments with penalty less than 100%.
Other amendments
There are some exceptions where other amendments may be made without a penalty being imposed.
“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 2025 closing date for amendments provided:
the Department has not notified you about any issues concerning your 2025 BISS application. you have not been notified of an AMS notification or 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 2025”.Furthermore an applicant can “correct obvious/innocent errors at any time after the 31 May 2025 closing date for Amendments. You may also change a declared crop use, up to midnight on 2 September 2025”.
If an applicant opts to request to change a tillage crop use they will be required to provide supporting evidence. This can take the form of seed receipts which can be uploaded via their agfood.ie account, or Geotagged photo’s which can be emailed to geotag@agriculture.gov.ie.
Other deadlines
It is also vital to highlight that there are three other schemes with a deadline of midnight of 15 May.
These include the National Sheep Welfare Scheme, offering payment of up to €13 per ewe, the CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme and the National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme. Both of these schemes offer payment of €20 per calf up to 50 head or a maximum of €1,000 per holding.
Applications under the 2025 Basic Income Support for Sustainability have been flowing in at a fast pace over the last week ahead of the deadline of midnight on Thursday 15 May. The Department of Agriculture’s helpdesk has been operating extended opening hours over the last week and has been a great aid in addressing last-minute queries.
It will remain active right up until the deadline. The contact number is 057 8674422.
The Department also explains that: “Staff will also be available to assist at the public counter in the Department office in Portlaoise during these extended opening hours. In-person consultations are available until half an hour before closing time on each of the days.”
The 2025 BISS terms and conditions state that there is a 25-calendar day period after the 15 May closing date for the acceptance of late applications and any necessary supporting documentation. However, deductions to payments at a rate of 1% per working day in respect of BISS will apply to late applications which are received during this period.
The only exception to this is in cases of force majeure / exceptional circumstances. In such instances applications can be accepted after this 25-calendar day period, but the terms and conditions outline they will be subject to late application penalties.
Rate of deduction
The same rate of deduction will also apply to Eco scheme, Complementary Redistributive Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS), Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers (CIS-YF), Protein Aid Scheme, Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC), Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES), Straw Incorporation Measure (SIM) and the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP).
Amendment facility
Payment under any of these schemes cannot be made in 2025 unless a valid 2025 BISS application is submitted. It is therefore critical that a BISS application is submitted before the deadline. Farmers who still have land parcels to finalise can submit their application and avail of the amendment facility.
Amendments to 2025 BISS and other area-based schemes applications, including the addition of parcels/plots, may be made without a penalty online up to 31 May 2025.
“If an applicant needs to amend an incorrectly claimed area or need to add parcels/plots to their 2025 application, this amendment must be submitted via the online system by the 31 May 2025 deadline. Amendments should be completed fully and accurately as they will become part of your 2025 BISS Application”.
The Department advises where a new plot is added, a map outlining the boundaries of that plot should be submitted through the online map editing system. This also applies where any other supporting documentation, for example, evidence of Commonage rights, is required.
Late amendments
Amendments after 31 May 2025 (late amendments) with additional parcels/plots or amended claimed areas will be accepted online up to and including 10 June 2025 with a penalty. The Department explains payment on the parcel(s) concerned will be reduced by 1% for each working day in this period that the amendment is late. The 10 June 2025 is the last date for amendments with penalty less than 100%.
Other amendments
There are some exceptions where other amendments may be made without a penalty being imposed.
“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 2025 closing date for amendments provided:
the Department has not notified you about any issues concerning your 2025 BISS application. you have not been notified of an AMS notification or 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 2025”.Furthermore an applicant can “correct obvious/innocent errors at any time after the 31 May 2025 closing date for Amendments. You may also change a declared crop use, up to midnight on 2 September 2025”.
If an applicant opts to request to change a tillage crop use they will be required to provide supporting evidence. This can take the form of seed receipts which can be uploaded via their agfood.ie account, or Geotagged photo’s which can be emailed to geotag@agriculture.gov.ie.
Other deadlines
It is also vital to highlight that there are three other schemes with a deadline of midnight of 15 May.
These include the National Sheep Welfare Scheme, offering payment of up to €13 per ewe, the CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme and the National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme. Both of these schemes offer payment of €20 per calf up to 50 head or a maximum of €1,000 per holding.
SHARING OPTIONS