Ryan O'Meara (Tipperary North, Fianna Fail)
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192. To ask the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine the payment supports available to small suckler farmers who are not in receipt of any agricultural payments or supports; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [36278/25]

Martin Heydon (Kildare South, Fine Gael)
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In order for a farmer to avail of funding under Cap Strategic Plan and Nationally funded farm schemes, they may in the first instance be required to submit a valid BISS and other Area Based Schemes application. This is an annual application submitted via my Department’s online system and provides details of the area farmed and the nature of farming undertaken by the applicant in a particular year.

This eligibility criteria is clearly set out in the Terms and Conditions of each scheme.

The submission of such an application allows my Department to carry out a number of control checks on the areas as declared and active farming requirements in order to ensure compliance with various scheme regulations.

My Department provides significant support to the suckler beef sector under the EU co-funded Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) and the exchequer-funded 2025 Beef Welfare Scheme (BWS). However generally speaking, the submission of a valid BISS application annually is a qualifying condition for participation in suckler support schemes. This is the case for both SCEP and the 2025 Beef Welfare Scheme (BWS).

In addition to dedicated supports for the suckler beef sector, my Department also administers various schemes that are open to farmers generally irrespective of their particular enterprise including those funded under the CAP Strategic Plan which is worth almost €9.8 billion over the duration of the current programming period.

Details of the eligibility and other conditions for participation in all schemes operated by my Department are available on the Department’s website.