Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Charlie McConalogue has today (Monday, November 20) announced that advance payments worth €19 million under the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS) have begun issuing to 17,000 farmers.
The scheme under the new Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has been introduced to enhance animal health and welfare in the sheep sector.
It provides financial support to farmers for taking extra steps to improve the welfare of their flock.
Sheep Improvement Scheme
The Sheep Improvement Scheme is co-funded by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the EU.
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) said that the payments currently issuing are an 85% advance payment on the scheme. The 15% of balancing payments are due to commence in May 2024.
A DAFM spokesperson noted that payments may take up to 5 days to reach farmers accounts.
Commenting on the SIS advance payments being issued, Minister McConalogue said: “This is the first year of the new SIS as part of the CAP and builds on the progress made by the Sheep Welfare Scheme by providing increased support for actions that improve animal health and welfare in the sheep sector.
“The introduction of this scheme further demonstrates the continuing commitment of this government to the sheep sector for the coming years.
“The issuing of payment under the SIS is crucial to the sheep sector and farm families. I know the importance of getting payments out to applicants as quickly as possible.
“Payments commencing today is a significant milestone achieved and is in line with the date notified to farmers. Payments will be visible in farmers’ bank accounts in the coming days,” he added.
DAFM said that not all applications are currently cleared for payment under the SIS Scheme.
Farmers should submit any outstanding evidence in support of their application to the department’s Portlaoise Office as soon as possible to facilitate the release of payments.
“My department will continue to process, as a matter of urgency, all remaining cases for payment as they meet scheme criteria,” Minister McConalogue said.