Cultivate Latest News
23 May, 2023BISS deadline
The Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) scheme deadline is fast approaching. The programme will close for applications at midnight on Monday, 29th May.
The BISS scheme replaces the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and is designed to provide direct income support to Irish farmers.
As outlined by the [tag] Department of Agriculture, to receive support under BISS, applicants must:
👉have an ‘Eligible Hectare’ to accompany each Payment Entitlement👉hold a registered herd number or have applied for a herd number on or before 29th May 2023
👉be an ‘Active Farmer’
Farmers are paid per eligible hectare of land farmed for which they hold entitlements (a so-called ‘Eligible Hectare’). The number and value of entitlements a farmer holds depends on factors such as:
👉payment rates and number of entitlements the farmer received under previous direct payment schemes (such as BPS)
👉adjustments each year to move values towards the national average (convergence)
👉transfers of entitlements between farmers
Maximum payment to any one farmer is €66,000 and no payment will be made under BISS where the amount is less than €100
Applications can be made through the Agfood.ie portal. Farmers can process the application themselves or get an advisor to apply on their behalf.
Grass management
Projected grass growth is still high and yet to peak with good weather on the horizon for this week.
Martin Merrick writing in the [tag] Irish Farmers Journal is advising farmers to bale paddocks with high cover, instead of continuing to graze them with livestock. Best practice is to walk paddocks now and plan ahead, with your contractor, to take out some surplus grass if necessary.
Moorepark open day
Moorepark Open Day 2023 will take place on Tuesday, 4th July 2023.
The theme of this year’s event is Irish Dairying – Securing a Sustainable Future. Dairy farmers and other industry stakeholders are invited to the event which will highlight the various technologies and practices available to farmers to support the economic, environmental, and social sustainability of their farms.
For more information and to register for the event see here.
If you are a beef farmer looking to develop your farm and live in the St Colmcille’s (Kells) Credit Union common bond area, contact us today on 
0469240299 or email cultivate@kellscu.ie and we can talk through your funding options over the phone.
