Latest news with #BasicIncomeSupportforSustainability
Agriland
3 days ago
- General
- Agriland
2 farms got '100% penalty' on BISS payments after refusing DAFM inspections
Two farms that refused Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM) inspections last year received "a 100% penalty" on their Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) payments according to a new report. DAFM carries out a variety of farm inspections each year including those conducted on behalf of the local authorities under the Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) for the Protection Waters Regulation. In 2024, DAFM carried out 621 farm inspections on behalf of local authorities, during which it detected "regulatory breaches" in 157 farms. These breaches led to penalties ranging from 1% to 25% of BISS payments for 116 farms and two farms that refused inspections received a 100% penalty on their BISS payments. According to a new report from the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) the non-compliance rate in 2024 reported by DAFM following these inspections was 25% - down from 30% in 2023. The EPA's National Agricultural Inspection Programme Summary Report for 2024 also highlights that most local authorities increased their farm inspection activity in 2024. Following these inspections a total of 1,621 "corrective actions" were requested by localauthorities last year, chief among these were requests to "provide control measures for farmyard manure (FYM) runoff, repair or replace gutters/ downpipes, control silage effluent or divert to suitable storage, divert soiled water to suitable storage and move FYM storage to suitable location". Further information was also requested by local authorities on 305 occasions - typically in relation to slurry collection and storage, control of soiled water, management of FYM and for discharges that could adversely impact water quality. Source: EPA The number of compliance letters issued to farm operators and landowners by local authorities rose sharply from 398 in 2023 to 1,484 in 2024. Three prosecutions were initiated and a further one was concluded by local authorities in 2024 similar to 2023 when five prosecutions were reported. According to the EPA Local authorities must "take a stronger enforcement approach to the implementation of the GAP Regulations". The agency said this includes taking "appropriate enforcement actions and follow-up inspections to restore compliance". It has also warned that "the EPA will continue to monitor how local authorities utilise their full range of enforcement powers".
Agriland
4 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
Teagasc Staff Pay Costs Rose by 9 to E109m in 2024 Report
Newly published accounts show that pay costs at Teagasc increased by 9% last year to €109 million. The Teagasc 2024 Annual Report and Financial Statements shows that the average number of staff employed by the authority during the year was 1,489, up 50 (3%) on 2023. The annual salary and benefits for Teagasc director, Prof. Frank O'Mara, stood at €192,000 last year. The report outlined that 124 members of staff in Teagasc earned over €100,000 last year, which included salaries, overtime, allowances, and other benefits. The total fees paid to the Teagasc Authority and committee stood at €90,346 last year, along with €30,982 in expenses. In 2024, 140 staff received overtime payments (2023: 148), with the highest aggregate amount paid to an individual €29,158 (2023: €28,802). The report outlined that total Teagasc income in 2024 was €242 million, which was €10 million (4%) greater than the previous year. Meanwhile, total expenditure was €246 million, €9 million (4%) greater than in 2023. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) allocated €170.45 million in grant aid to Teagasc in 2024, an increase of €8.254 million on the previous year. The accounts show non-pay expenditure reduced by 5.5% to €74 million, with general operating expenses of €52 million, down 5% on 2023. Capital expenditure increased by 53% in 2024 to €14.4 million, while superannuation (pension programme) costs reduced by 2% to €46 million. The average number of monthly retirement benefits paid during the year was 1,759 (2023: 1,768). Livestock trading income was just over €5 million in 2024, up from €3.9 million in 2023. €755,000 was spent on buying livestock in 2024, compared to €353,000 in the previous year. The report noted that total procurement-related expenditure was €72.9 million in 2024. Teagasc found that of 301 purchase orders worth over €25,000, with total value of €26.7 million, the value of non-compliant purchase orders was €191,930 (2023: €186,064). "Notwithstanding that these procurements were non-compliant, Teagasc is satisfied that good value for money was achieved," the report stated. Despite progression of female staff and the appointment of women to management positions, Teagasc's gender pay gap was 14% as at June 30, 2024. A new diversity and inclusion strategy to be launched in 2025 will include "a sharp focus on reducing the pay gap". The report shows that Teagasc advisory service had contracts with 43,735 farmer clients in 2024. In total, there were 142,834 one-to-one advisory contacts in 2024, including 21,000 farm visits, over 63,000 phone consultations and 59,000 office consultations. Teagasc supported farmers with 42,210 Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) applications, and almost 15,773 farmers in the Agri-Climate Rural Environment Scheme (ACRES). The organisation hosted 288 farm walks, 251 workshops, 387 meetings and seminars, along with 2,954 discussion group meetings. The Teagasc website had over 4.4 million visits in 2024. There were 3,600 learners across full-time, part-time and distance education courses provided by Teagasc, including a number of new apprenticeship programmes. Teagasc researchers published some 654 peer-reviewed articles during 2024. Last year, Teagasc was awarded external research funding valued at €53 million, up from €37 million in 2023, which will be drawn down over the next three to six years. Almost 12.5% of this was for 19 projects funded by the European Commission, which had a total value of €283 million with the contribution to Teagasc being €6.6 million.
Agriland
4 days ago
- Business
- Agriland
4,600 herds, 85,700 cows gone from SCEP since inception
Agriland can reveal 4,600 herds and 85,700 cows have gone from SCEP since its inception. The Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) has been subject to criticism from farm lobby groups and suckler farmers since it was initially rolled out. Many farmers expressed frustration at what they said was "overly onerous" criteria required to be eligible for the scheme, and figures obtained by Agriland show there has been a drop-out rate of over 20%. The table below outlines some of the key details on the number of herds and cows in the SCEP: Number of herds eligible for payment Yearly reference number (Number of cows) Number of applications: 20,864 497,094 Year 1 (2023) 16,995 428,042 Year 2 (2024) 15,985 405,274 Herds remaining in SCEP as of July 28, 2025 16,241 411,409 Responding to a query from Agriland on the number of cows and herds entered in SCEP over each of the scheme years, a spokesperson for the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) said: "The number of herds who applied to participate in SCEP during the opening period for applications between March 20, 2023 and the late closing period for applications on June 16, 2023 was 20,864 herds, equating to a yearly reference number of 497,094." Since commencement of the scheme in March 2023: 3,275 farmers have been removed from SCEP; A further 1,348 participants have opted to withdraw themselves. The main reasons participants were removed from the programme include: Failing to calve down a minimum of 50% of their yearly reference number within the scheme year (circa 38%); Failing to apply for Bord Bia/having continued participation in Bord Bia (circa 52%). The balance of approximately 10% are comprised of participants who failed to submit a Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) application in either 2023, 2024, or 2025 and/or participants who failed three out of four of the scheme actions, as well as those who failed to complete the SCEP training by the required deadline. A total of 16,995 herds were eligible for payment in respect of scheme year 1 (2023), equating to a yearly reference number of 428,042. 15,985 herds were eligible for payment in respect of scheme year 2 (2024), equating to a yearly reference number of 405,274. "As herds become eligible for payment, they will be picked up for payment on subsequent payment runs," according to DAFM. As of July 28, 2025, there are currently 16,241 participants remaining in SCEP, with a yearly reference number of 411,409.
Agriland
31-07-2025
- Business
- Agriland
How much were BISS payments worth to your county in 2024?
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has confirmed that Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) payments were worth over €688 million last year. The minister was responding to a parliamentary question from Sinn Féin TD Conor D. McGuinness. BISS replaced the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) under the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in 2023. Minister Heydon said that the payment is designed to provide a direct income support to Irish farmers to underpin their continued sustainability and viability. "While BISS replaced BPS in 2023 as part of the new CAP, some Pillar 1 funding was allocated to the Complementary Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS) as well as BISS. Therefore, direct county comparisons between BPS and BISS will show differences," he said. The amount of funding distributed to each county under BISS since its introduction can be seen in the following table: County 2024 BISS payment total 2023 BISS payment total Carlow €11,951,400 €12,229,514 Cavan €20,133,221 €20,009,955 Clare €28,329,480 €27,913,532 Cork €85,690,275 €86,219,045 Donegal €38,076,559 €36,880,125 Dublin €4,925,088 €4,944,086 Galway €51,003,189 €50,544,889 Kerry €42,708,864 €41,369,480 Kildare €16,031,008 €16,318,988 Kilkenny €26,373,517 €26,868,563 Laois €19,666,917 €20,078,128 Leitrim €13,273,501 €12,816,677 Limerick €28,395,348 €28,302,359 Longford €10,732,608 €10,772,179 Louth €9,702,365 €9,889,250 Mayo €46,334,704 €44,948,179 Meath €27,582,841 €28,050,912 Monaghan €15,079,196 €15,300,592 Offaly €18,540,259 €18,760,008 Roscommon €23,590,597 €23,384,194 Sligo €15,821,036 €15,389,231 Tipperary €50,258,016 €50,989,278 Waterford €19,871,787 €20,048,387 Westmeath €18,268,933 €18,236,329 Wexford €29,873,279 €30,503,919 Wicklow €16,345,056 €16,276,123 Total €688,559,044 €687,043,922 Source: DAFM The figures show that Cork received the highest total payments under BISS in 2024 at almost €85.7 million, which was down on the previous year (€86.2 million) Galway was in second position on €51 million, closely followed by Tipperary €50.2 million, while Mayo took fourth place with €46.3 million. Dublin was the county with the lowest amount of payments at €4.9 million. Minister Heydon added that BISS payments for this year will commence in October 2025. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) previously confirmed that a total of 123,705 applications for BISS and other area-based schemes were submitted this year. This figure is down from 124,274 scheme applications in 2024. Cork was again the county with the highest number of applications at 12,181, followed by Galway on 11,603 and Mayo with 10,942.
Agriland
31-07-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Appeal finds 'insufficient' notification of SCEP changes
The Agriculture Appeals Office has found that insufficient notification was given by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) around changes to the terms and conditions of the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Scheme (SCEP). The finding was made following an appeal lodged by a farmer who said he was not aware of the change in the terms and conditions when he was applying for the scheme. During an oral hearing, the farmer explained that he had set his programme reference in accordance with the original terms and conditions and as set out by the department at SCEP information meetings. The farmer said there was no indication on the terms and conditions of their date of publication, while the version on the DAFM website did not state it was an amended version. The farmer added that there was no reason to suspect that an amendment had been included relating to the calculation of the programme reference. The department stated that the original terms and conditions for SCEP, published on March 21, 2023, allowed new entrants to declare a programme reference and yearly reference of their own choosing at application stage. The oral hearing was told that the farmer who had made the appeal chose a reference of 100. DAFM said the terms of the scheme were amended on May 11, 2023 and stated that the programme reference chosen by the new entrant should reflect the number of eligible suckler cows that they estimate will produce an eligible calf in scheme year 1. The department informed the herdowner that his reference number was reduced to 63. DAFM noted that the minister for agriculture has the right to alter terms and conditions and that the amended version was uploaded to the department website and that updated instructionswere given on the online application. In deciding to allow the farmer's appeal, the appeals officer said that the information provided by the department was not consistent between information meetings, the original terms and conditions and the online application instructions. "Notification to stakeholders was insufficient and the lack of dated versions of the terms and conditions made it difficult to identify amendments. "Both farmers and their advisors worked on the basis of the information provided at the information meetings and were not aware of the amendment," the Agriculture Appeals Office annual report said. Established in 2002, the Agriculture Appeals Office provides an appeals service to farmers who are not satisfied with decisions of DAFM concerning designated schemes operated by the department. 483 appeals were made by farmers in relation to farm schemes in 2024, down from 624 in the previous year. SCEP was the scheme with the highest number of appeals last year at 104. This was followed by 67 appeals for the Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) Scheme and 47 each for the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Scheme (TAMS) and the Shannon Callows Flood Scheme. Of the appeals which were allowed or partially allowed in 2024, 36 were SCEP appeals, 25 related to the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and 23 were for TAMS. Among the appeals that were disallowed there were 78 related to SCEP.
