Over €12m allocated to Sligo farmers across 3,545 herds

By Philip Rooney, The Sligo Champion

Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon has announced that advance payments under the 2025 Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) and the Complementary Redistributive Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS) schemes will begin issuing from Thursday, October 16.

Minister of State Marian Harkin said the news will come as a “major boost to family farms across Sligo, Leitrim, and Donegal,” with over €50 million in payments expected to flow into the northwest economy in the coming days.

“These payments are absolutely vital for sustaining farm families and the rural communities that depend on them,” Minister Harkin said. “In counties like Sligo, Leitrim, and Donegal - where farming is often on smaller, more marginal holdings - this support is essential to maintaining livelihoods, ensuring generational continuity, and keeping rural Ireland alive.”

Under the Department’s latest figures, farmers in the northwest are set to receive significant allocations: Donegal: €29.4 million across 7,701 herds; Leitrim: €10.9 million across 3,153 herds and Sligo: €12.8 million across 3,545 herds.

Minister Harkin said this represents “A strong recognition of the central role small and medium-sized farms play in regional sustainability.”

“This investment doesn’t just stay on the farm gate - it circulates through local businesses, co-ops, and communities. It means income for farm families, but it also means trade for shops, services, and contractors across the northwest,” she added.

Minister Harkin commended the Department for ensuring that over 93% of eligible applicants will receive payments immediately, in line with the Farmers’ Charter commitment to timely delivery. She also encouraged any farmers with outstanding documentation to engage with the Department as soon as possible to ensure payments can be finalised.

“The efficient rollout of these supports demonstrates that government can and does deliver for rural Ireland when systems work well. I will continue to advocate for fair, timely, and regionally balanced delivery of all CAP supports,” Minister Harkin said.