Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) continues is paid based on Payment Entitlements, for which an eligible hectare is held by an applicant. Each year, farmers select the annual schemes they want to participate in and select which actions they will carry out on their eligible hectares. Applications for BISS must be made online each year. BISS is the first step to access other schemes. It is not necessary to have entitlements to make an application for BISS, though there will not be a BISS payment without entitlements.
Access to other schemes such as ECO Scheme (Environment Scheme); Targeted Agricultural Modernisation Scheme (TAMS); Complementary Income Support for Young Farmers (CIS-YF) (previously Young Farmer Scheme); Areas of Natural Constraint (ANC) and so on all begin with a BISS application.
An individual farmer can submit their own BISS application upon registering on agfood.ie, or they can recruit an agent/advisor to act on their behalf. Access a list of approved FAS advisors here
2025 BISS (to receive payment on entitlements), and other area related schemes application (i.e. ECO, ANC, ACRES,CIS-YF) was open until May 15th 2025. Penalties apply to late applications. However, a late BISS application to access TAMS only, and no other area related scheme should remain possible.
To make an application the applicant must
- be a holder of a registered herd number, also termed equine premises number. Application form for equine premises number can be found here; and
- be an Active Farmer by meeting a minimum stocking level of 0.10 livestock units per hectare (an equine over six months of age = 0.8 L/U), the training of horses and the rearing of bloodstock or other farming activities e.g. producing crops, cutting hay/silage, topping, maintaining landscape features, etc.
- complete the Equine Census. Access the login page to complete the Equine Census here. Read more about the Equine Census and traceability here. DAFM have said there will be no equine census in 2025, and that a new system is to follow in 2026.
If an individual declares they are ‘not active’ on the BISS application they are not allowed to apply for any of the schemes that fall under BISS (CRISS/ ANC/ ECO/ Organics/ SIM/ Protein/ ACRES/ CISYF). If it is the first time to apply for BISS DAFM may not hold information on your herd and you need to use the application to inform DAFM how you will mee the Active Farmer requirements.
Take care that the Equine Premises Registration Number/Herd number is in the name that will carry out the enterprise under BISS (i.e. matches to the name associated with the land).
Eligible Hectare
Applicants must have control of the declared lands (owned, leased-in, rented-in) and must be subject to agricultural activity throughout the calendar year. Lands must be ‘at the disposal’ of the applicant and used for agricultural activity. Agricultural land is arable land, permanent crops, permanent pasture, along with agroforestry systems.
Land area for stocking density calculations
Stocking density area is defined as the area available for grazing. This can be calculated via the following: Parcel Area minus both Ineligible Features (roads, buildings, waterbodies) and minus Beneficial Features (scrub, rock, trees, woodland, and habitat). This value may differ from the eligible hectare value.
Land Parcel Identification and Maps
As part of the BISS application process digital maps are used to identify each land parcel. If you are not on the system already maps of the farm will need to be created on iNET. Land Parcel Identification Numbers will have to be allocated to parcels as a starting point. Ensure ALL parcels are mapped, particularly where a farmyard is separate to the land ensure it is ALSO mapped. Talk to your advisor about this.
Checks and Balances
Validations, compliance checks and potential penalties should be kept in mind and understood. Read the BISS terms and conditions and the terms and conditions of any scheme you are applying for carefully beforehand and discuss with your advisor.
Conditionality
To receive a payment under the BISS a variety of regulations on the environment, climate change, good agricultural condition of land, public, animal, plant health and animal welfare must have been followed. This system was known as Cross Compliance. Cross Compliance/ Greening is now known as Conditionality. Conditionality relates to the climate and the environment, public health, animal health and plant health, and animal welfare.
Conditionality requirements are implemented in two ways:
- Statutory Management Requirements (SMRs) – legislative requirements concerning the environment, food safety, animal and plant health, and animal welfare applicable to all farmers – not just those participating in CAP interventions.
- Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) – a range of standards concerning soil, climate change mitigation, habitats, and water. These apply to all farmers receiving CAP support. Importantly also now under GAEC 8 there is a requirement to have and maintain at least 4% of the agriculture area as non-productive areas or landscape features (hedgerows, drains, stone walls, ponds (<0.2ha); trees in a line; or national monuments). Hedgerow removal is only allowed in exceptional circumstances with a new hedge of twice the removal length planted in advance. No cutting hedges/ tress during the bird breeding and rearing season.