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CAP 2023

Pillar I: Some Points Summarized

BISS - Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS)

BISS is designed to provide a direct income support to Irish farmers to underpin their continued sustainability and viability. By supporting viable farm incomes, BISS supports farmers in the continuation of a secure food supply.

Applications for BISS will be submitted via an online system that builds on the BPS structures currently used. BISS payments will be paid on payment entitlements for which an eligible hectare is held by the applicant. The level of convergence and capping applied will depend on how the Irish Government chooses to implement the flexibilities provided in the final agreement on the legal texts.

The financial allocation is based on the size of a holding (e.g., the number of eligible hectares) and the number and value of entitlements held.

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Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers (CIS-YF)

The CIS-YF is designed to provide support and to educated young farmers entering the agriculture sector in the years immediately following the young farmer setting up as head of the holding, solely or jointly.

The CIS-YF will provide certainty in terms of the level of income support for eligible applicants for up to 5 years. Eligible applicants must first be entitled to a payment under the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS).

Farmers meeting the eligibility conditions may apply on an annual basis. All eligible hectares declared by the applicants up to a maximum of 50 hectares per applicant can receive support. Support is not based on the number of entitlements held by the applicant.

Maximum payment is €8500 per annum for 5 years.

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Complementary Redistributive Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS)

CRISS is designed to redistribute CAP funds from larger farms to medium and smaller sized farms, and it is now mandatory element within the direct payment measures.

The aim behind the measure is that CAP payments should go to those who need it the most, or those who are contributing most to the CAP objectives.

Proposed Structure

Once the financial amount for redistribution is set, that portion of the direct payments ceiling is reserved for the CRISS payments measure. There will be a front loading of payments up to 30 hectares on each holding for which the payment will be made and the resulting payment per hectare is then calculated. This will be determined for each farm during the online BISS application process each year. The maximum payment per hectare depends on the farmers entitlement value.

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Eco-scheme

Eco – schemes are intended to address several issues relating to climate change, the unsustainable use of natural resources, and the degradation of habitats and landscapes.

The Eco-scheme will be implemented annually, and farmers will have the opportunity to opt in or out on an annual basis.

Applications will be made through the online BISS application from 2023 onwards.

The Eco-scheme will provide the opportunity for as many farmers as possible to take up the most appropriate actions or intensity of actions on their farm. The aim of the scheme is to maximise the benefits for the environment.

The design of the eco-schemes is to ensure high levels of farmer participation throughout the country and the aim is to ensure the widest possible up take of targeted environmental actions.

Proposed Eligibility Conditions/Selection Criteria

Eco-schemes will be open to all active farmers or groups of active farmers within Ireland. Eligible farmers will have to submit a BISS application online in respect of each year of participation in the eco-schemes. Farmers will have to opt in or out on an annual basis.

Proposed Support rates/financial allocation

Eco-schemes support is based on an annual payment for all eligible hectares covered by farmers commitments, i.e., farmers will receive a payment on all eligible hectares of land on their holding.

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Pillar II: Some Points Summarized

Agri-Climate Rural Environmental Scheme (ACRES)

The aim of the ACRES scheme is to deliver a range of environmental, climate and biodiversity benefits by supporting farmers to undertake appropriate environmental actions on their farm.

Any eligible farmer in any part of the country will have the opportunity to participate in the scheme.

Participating farmers will be required to address priority assets or actions on their farm.

Proposed Eligibility Conditions/Selection Criteria

The scheme will be open to all active farmers within Ireland and to qualify for the higher payment’s farmers must have land with higher environmental priorities.

Access to the scheme will be determined through a ranking and selection process as before, and priority access will be given to organic farmers, farmers with priority assets and farmers who agree to incorporate specific priority actions on their farm.

Payment rates will vary in line with the selected environmental actions and farmers may earn above the average payment rate if they take results-based actions and achieve higher results.

Note: Farmers in co-operation areas will also be eligible to receive additional payments for farm/landscape type actions.

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ACRES Training Scheme (ATS)

The priority of this measure is to provide training to farmers who partake in the ACRES Scheme. Its aim is to educate farmers on how to implement selected environmental actions while equipping them with the knowledge and skills necessary to carry out the delivery and management of selected actions going forward.

It is proposed that one-day training courses will be provided to farmers participating in the Agri-Climate Rural Environmental Scheme.

Participants in the ACRES Cooperation areas must attend any additional mandatory training –up to a maximum of 5 mandatory training courses over the period of the contract -as organised by the ACRES CP Teams.

The ACRES Training course is mandatory for all approved participants and is to be completed during the first full year of participation in the scheme.

Agri environmental courses will be ran during weekdays.

It is advised to pre book NOW to secure your place.

Places are limited, booking early is advised.

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Organic Farming Scheme

The aim of the organic farming scheme is to provide support to farmers whose aim it is to convert from conventional farming to organic farming.

Support will be provided annually and will be provided as an area-based payment over a maximum contract period of 5 years (2 years in conversion, 3 years in maintenance), with increased payment per hectare and some targeted incentives aimed at areas that are deemed to be in deficit.

Organic Farming Scheme core requirements include:

  • The requirement is a minimum farm area of 3 hectares, except for horticultural (including fruit) producers where the minimum farm area of 1 hectare is required.
  • Registration with one of the Organic Control Bodies, possession of a valid organic licence and registration with DAFM.
  • Completion of FETAC level 5 Course in Organic Farming is mandatory.

Farmers converting land from conventional to organic farming will receive a higher payment for the first two-year conversion period, with a maintenance payment thereafter.

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Producer Groups in the Beef and Sheep Sector

The aim of this measure is to provide support to groups of Producers wishing to be recognised as Producer Groups/Organisations in the Beef and Sheep sectors.

Low levels of producer group participation have been identified within Ireland. Producer group participation levels would need to increase to improve the farmer’s position in the value chain.

Applications for producer groups will be accepted by the Department of Agriculture on a rolling basis from 2023 – 2027 inclusive.

To be eligible a producer group / organisation must:

  • be set up on the initiative of producers and be led by producers.
  • have a minimum of 20 members
  • be constituted and registered as a legal entity with the Companies Registration Office (CRO).

Year 1 – Support for advisory and administrative costs

Year 2 – Support for administrative costs

Year 3 – Support for administrative costs

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Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme

The aim of the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme is to provide support to beef farmers to improve the environmental sustainability of their herd, and overall, the national beef herd to help Ireland achieve its climate action targets.

The scheme aims to do this by improving the genetics of the Irish suckler herd and reducing the greenhouse gas intensity of beef production.

The scheme aims to build on previous schemes like the Beef Data and Genomics Programme (BDGP) and the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme (BEEP).

This structure of the scheme will consist of two measures, Measure A and Measure B, operating over a 5-year contract. Note: A suckler farmer can only be in either Measure A, or B.

Measure A will be for those participants who participated in the Beef Data Genomics Programme (BDGP) on the 1st of June 2021 and Measure B will be for those participants who were not previously in BDGP, or where they were participating in BDGP and were not in BDGP on 1st of June 2021.

Participants in both Measure A and Measure B will have to complete 4 mandatory actions to complete within each year of the Scheme. These actions include ensuring a replacement strategy is in place, data recording, weighing, and genotyping. However, participants can opt to select two complementary actions, if they so wish.

Note: Complementary actions must also be carried out each year by the participant.

The complementary actions are the same for Measure A and B. These actions are forage quality and faecal egg testing.

Given the scope of farm deaths caused by livestock on Irish farms, every participant will be required to complete a half day livestock handling course before the end of year 2.

To participate in the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme scheme applicants must:

  • Have submitted an online BISS application in a reference year and continue to submit an online BISS applications on which all their lands are declared for the duration of the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme.
  • Have beef breed animals born annually in the herd in each scheme year of the measure.
  • Be a member of Bord Bia Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance Scheme.

Financial Support

When open, applicants will be presented with their suckler cow calving data from 2016 to 2021. The best three years from which an average is given, and this will be the scheme reference figure for the participant. In the case of young farmers or farmers with no data from 2016 to 2021, they will be regarded as ‘new entrants’ and applicants will provide a target figure for 2023 at the application stage.

If a farmer has previously participated in the previous BDGP scheme, then there will be scope to reduce numbers without penalty to the farmer. Where a farmer reduces their Suckler Cow numbers, this lower number will now become their new Reference Number for each year of the scheme, and they will be paid on the lower number going forward. The Reference Number may only be revised downwards and not upwards.

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Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme

The aim of the Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme is to provide support to farmers who undertake certain actions to improve the viability of male dairy calves produced locally.

The scheme consists of two measures:

Measure 1: A Young Calf Measure will be for those farmers breeding only Dairy herds.

Measure 2: A Growing Stage Measure will be for all farmers who own and rear dairy beef calves.

Breeding Dairy Herds that rear calves can apply for both measures under the scheme.

Under each measure, participants are required to complete two actions, one action from Category A and one action from Category B.

The list of actions are as follows:

  • Young Calf (Measure 1) Category A: Sexed Semen or Genotyping
  • Young Calf (Measure 1) Category B: High DBI (Dairy Breeding Index) A.I. or Beef Stock Bull
  • Growing Stage (Measure 2) Category A: Calf Weighing of < 1-year olds or Weighing of Dairy Beef Animals < 2 years old
  • Growing Stage (Measure 2) Category B: Parasite Control or Forage Quality.

Each participant is required to complete a 2-hour training course annually either online or in person.

Given the scope of farm deaths caused by livestock on Irish farms, every participant will be required to complete a half day livestock handling course before the end of year 1.

To participate in the Dairy Beef Welfare scheme applicants must:

  • Have submitted an online BISS application in a reference year and continue to submit online BISS applications on which all their lands are declared for the duration of the Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme
  • Have beef breed animals born annually in the herd in each year of the scheme where the participant is in the Young Calf Measure (Measure 1)
  • Be a member of Bord Bia Sustainable Beef and Lamb Assurance/Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme as appropriate to their enterprise.

Financial Support

The total amount payable to the farmer will depend on the measures chosen and the actions chosen within each measure. Farmers must choose a minimum of one action per category but may pick two actions as stated above.

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Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS)

The aim of the Sheep Improvement Scheme is to build on the progress made by the previous Sheep Welfare Scheme (SWS). It provides support to farmers for actions undertaken to improve sheep health and welfare.

This scheme will contribute to enhance sheep health and welfare through specific interventions in lameness control, parasite control, flystrike, and appropriate meal/mineral supplementation.

Participating farmers will be required to choose two actions altogether, one action from Category A and one action from Category B, suitable to whether they have a lowland or a hill flock.

The list of actions that can be taken are as follows:

  • Lowland Flock Category A: Lameness Control or Mineral Supplementation Ewes Post Mating or Parasite Control (Faecal Egg reduction test)
  • Lowland Flock Category B: Genotyped Ram or Scanning and recording of results or Flystrike Control
  • Hill Flock Category A: Mineral Supplementation Ewes Post Mating or Meal Feeding Lambs Post Weaning or Parasite Control (Faecal Egg reduction test)
  • Hill Flock Category B: Genotyped Ram or Scanning and recording of results or Mineral Supplementation Lambs Pre-weaning

Note: Hill flocks may not choose both Mineral Supplementation Pre-weaning and Meal Feeding of Lamb’s Post Weaning.

All farmers must complete the Genotyped Ram action once during the intervention period, they also must indicate in which year they will perform the Genotype Ram action and in all other years select another alternative action from Category B from the outset of the scheme.

Farmers with a flock size greater than 150 breeding ewes must complete the Genotyped Ram action twice over the duration of the scheme.

Proposed Eligibility Conditions

  • Have a flock number and breeding ewes on their farm holding for the duration of year of the scheme and declare breeding ewes on their 2022 Sheep Census return.
  • The maximum number of ewes eligible for payment will be the average of the number of ewes in a specified historic reference period. Payment each year will be based on the lower of this maximum reference number or the latest sheep census figures.
  • Applicants will be required to submit a Sheep Census return for each year of participation in the Scheme.
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Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme III (TAMS 3)

The TAMS 3 Scheme provide support to farmers looking to invest in capital projects on their farms.

This scheme will be implemented, like TAMS II, utilising a tranche-based system, operating in rolling tranches.

40% & 60% Grant aid will be provided for investment by the following schemes:

  • Animal Welfare Nutrient Storage Scheme (AWNSS)
  • Young Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (TFCIS)
  • Women Farmer Capital Investment Scheme (WFCIS)
  • Organic Farming Capital Investment Scheme (OFCIS)
  • Farm Safety Capital Investment Scheme (FSCIS)
  • Solar Capital Investment Scheme (SCIS)
  • Dairy Equipment Capital Investment Scheme (DES)
  • Low Emission Slurry Spreading Scheme (LESS)
  • Tillage Capital Investment Scheme (TCIS)
  • Pig & Poultry Capital Investment Scheme (PPIS)

All applicants must:

  • Must be an active Farmer, aged eighteen years or over, be the holder of an active Herd/ flock/tillage number and have declared a minimum of 5 hectares (1 hectare for horticulture producers) of “eligible land” leased or owned which has been declared on their online Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) in the year of application or preceding year. Applicants must also comply with requirements on planning permission and tax clearance certification.
  • For young farmers – aged no more than 40 at any time during the calendar year in which s/he submits a Young Farmer Capital Investment application must also meet the requirement for being ‘head of the holding. Applicants must also meet the appropriate training and/or skills requirements.
View our completed projectsEnquire here to avail of 40% or 60% TAMS II Grant

Knowledge Transfer Programme (KT)

The aim of the Knowledge Transfer (KT) programme is to provide farmers with a platform to share knowledge and to engage in learning.

Knowledge transfer can play a vital role in underpinning a more competitive, modern, resilient, and sustainable agricultural sector within Ireland.

KT aims to build on the 2014-2020 Knowledge Transfer Programme by providing high quality and targeted advice to farmers, delivered by professional agricultural advisors with the appropriate experience and expertise.

Understanding topics such as climate change, biodiversity, water, animal welfare, farm management, financial management and succession planning will ensure that the Irish agricultural sector remains resilient, while increasing production as well as being more sustainable.

KT will facilitate the delivery of targeted knowledge and skills to farmers through group-based sessions. Groups will be set up across Ireland and the groups will be formed in accordance with local needs.

At least 4 out of the 8 meetings delivered must be on a ‘Priority KT Topic’ and it must incorporate delivery from an appropriate external expert. The list of Priority KT Topics will be refreshed by the Department of Agriculture each year.

Financial Support

Final allocations for the Scheme are yet to be clarified, However, if we look back at the previous 2014-2020 Knowledge Transfer Programme Farmers participating in KT Groups received €750 upon completion of each year which consisted of Eight 2hr meetings (€46.87/hr)

It is advised to pre book NOW to secure your place.

Places will be limited so early booking is advised.

Book now