Dublin, 9 December 2025 — Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has confirmed the release of almost €86 million in Eco-Scheme balancing payments, bringing total 2025 Eco-Scheme support to nearly €288 million since payments first commenced in October.
According to the Department, 112,610 farmers are now in receipt of Eco-Scheme funding, which rewards climate- and biodiversity-focused farming practices. The balancing payments — issued at a 30% rate — will appear in farmers’ bank accounts in the coming days, with remaining applications to be processed “as a matter of urgency.”
Supporting Climate Action and Farm Income
Minister Heydon said the €85.8 million tranche reflects the Government’s commitment to recognising farmers’ environmental efforts.
“The aim of Ireland’s Eco-Scheme is to reward farmers for undertaking actions beneficial to the climate, environment, water quality and biodiversity,” he said, noting that participants often incur costs or forgo income to meet scheme criteria.
The Minister added that his Department remains “fully committed” to delivering payments efficiently and urged farmers with outstanding documentation requests to respond promptly to avoid delays.
County-by-County Breakdown
Today’s release allocates a total of €85,784,318 across all counties. The largest payments go to Cork (€9.7m), Galway (€6.67m), Mayo (€6.16m), Kerry (€5.99m) and Donegal (€5.24m). Smaller allocations include Dublin (€585,679) and Louth (€1.13m).
Further Support and Queries
Farmers seeking information on Eco-Scheme, BISS, CRISS, CISYF or ANC payments can contact the Department’s Direct Payments Helpline at 057-8674422 or submit queries via MyAgFood.ie.
