Payments have begun issuing today (Wednesday, December 3) to farmers under the Protein Aid scheme.

The scheme was introduced to provide support to tillage farmers in establishing nitrogen-fixing crops, which are of huge environmental benefit, in addition to reducing the dependency on imported protein for use in animal feeds.

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon said: “I am delighted to confirm that payments totalling €9.5 million have commenced issuing under the 2025 Protein Aid Scheme and will be visible in farmers’ bank accounts in the coming days.” 

“The payment provided under this scheme is an important support for tillage farmers for the growing of protein crops, including beans, peas, lupins and the protein cereal mix crop.

“The Protein Aid Scheme has proven extremely popular with tillage farmers again in 2025, with circa 18,000ha sown to protein crops," he added.

Protein Aid Scheme

The Protein Scheme is a voluntary coupled support scheme funded by the EU under Article 33 of EU regulation 2021/2115.

It was introduced to provide support for the growing of protein crops to counteract the dependence on imported protein for use in animal feeds. 

In 2025, €10 million has been set aside for the Protein Aid Scheme, and payments are now commencing for the approximately 1,586 applicants.

The rate for this year has been set at €600/ha for beans, peas, lupins and soya, with a half rate payment of €300/ha for the protein cereal mix.

The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has advised that payments may take up to five days to reach farmers' accounts. 

In line with previous years, not all applications are currently cleared for payment under the Protein Aid Scheme, DAFM has said.

Regular pay runs will continue in the coming weeks to ensure cleared cases are processed for payment as quickly as possible.

Farmers can ring the Helpdesk at 057-8674422 with any queries or via the AgFood portal or by email to [email protected].