BISS and CRISS
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has confirmed that a total of €452 million was issued to farmers on Tuesday, 24th October, as part of the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) and Complementary Redistributive Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS) schemes.
News of the payments will be welcomed by farming families across the country, at a time when financial margins are wafer thin on many holdings. Issuance of this money follows an announcement, made earlier this year, that payments for BISS and CRISS would be delayed by several weeks.
What the Minister said
Speaking at the announcement of the payments this week, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue, expressed his delight at the release of this grant money. The Minister pointed out that it was the second of three October Tuesdays on which advance payments will be issued to farmers the length and breadth of the country. The Minister went on to say that BISS and CRISS payments will issue to a total of 103,764 farmers nationwide.
The Department says that payments will be visible in farmers’ bank accounts over the coming days. Payments commenced at a rate of 70% on Tuesday. Payments under the new eco-schemes are expected to issue from next week.
BISS Payment Eligibility
Minister McConalogue explained that approximately 90% of eligible farmers will receive a payment. He expressed his awareness of the importance of these schemes for the survival of farming families, and affirmed his commitment to ensuring that payments are issued efficiently:
I know just how crucial these payments are for family farm income, but I also recognise how important they are to businesses across the country, bringing a welcome boost in cashflow to the rural economy. I am committed to ensuring that these scheme payments continue to issue in the most efficient way possible to ensure that these vital supports are delivered to farmers in a timely manner.
Have you submitted all documentation?
It seems that some farmers who have applied for the scheme have not yet provided the Department with all necessary documentation. As such, DAFM has urged those farmers with outstanding requests for documentation to submit immediately so that payment can issue in due course.
Payments will not be made where the required documentation has not been submitted to DAFM.
Payment dates
In response to farmer queries, Minister McConalogue has confirmed that payment dates for 2024 will revert to the payment schedule in place for previous years. This means that the later payment dates, which applied in 2023, will not apply in 2024.
Again, this will be welcome news to farmers.
