Farm scheme payments to Laois reach nearly €40 m

Laois farmers received nearly €40 million under various types of agricultural income support schemes administered by the Department of Agriculture in 2025, according to new data.

As farmers from Laois and other counties protested in Brussels about EU support for farming, payment details by county under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and national support schemes were announced by the Department of Agriculture just before Christmas.

In a statement to the Leinster Express / Laois Live, Minister Martin Heydon noted the “significant payment amounts” totalling €2.18 billion issued in 2025 by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine to support rural and coastal communities.

“Understandably, there has been a lot of focus throughout the year on payments made by my Department to farmers. Ireland continues to be one of the earliest to make payments under the CAP within the EU, and to the highest possible number of farmers.
“I am accordingly very pleased to announce the breadth of payments made by my Department throughout 2025. We will continue to work to issue payments as quickly as possible where they are still due, and I would ask farmers who have outstanding queries to respond to these as soon as possible.

“The payments made and funds allocated in 2025 show the depth of commitment the Government has to farmers and fishers in Ireland, and to the world-class food they produce in an ever more sustainable way. I look forward to a successful year ahead for Ireland’s farming industry and seafood sector,” said Minister Heydon.

See the payments for Laois below picture:

Borris-in-Ossory man and IFA National Beef Committee Chairman Declan Hanrahan at a protest by farmers from across Europe in Brussels before Christmas. Pic: IFA

• Basic Income Support Scheme: €18,933,913.04
• Complementary Redistributive Income Support for Sustainability: €2,755,507.72
• Complimentary Income Support for Young Farmers: €796,280.
• Sheep Improvement Scheme: €164,107.8
• Eco-Scheme: €7,584,603.39
• National Sheep Welfare Scheme: €182,728.05
• Areas of Natural Constraint: €3,674,173.36
• Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme: €1,452,405.92
• Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme: €169,489.6
• Straw Incorporation Measure: € 294,340.3
• Protein Aid: €447,887.7
• Multi Species Sward Measure / Red Clover Silage Measure: €103,314
• Tillage Top up: €1,660,408
• Baling Assistance Payment Scheme: €165,558.75

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A regional breakdown by county of the payments issued was published on the Department's website HERE.