Minister Heydon announces almost €17 million in Sheep Improvement Scheme payments
- Published on: 24 November 2025
- Last updated on: 24 November 2025
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, today announced that payments valued at €16.91 million under the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS) have commenced issuing to 15,527 participants.
Commenting on the announcement, Minister Heydon said:
“I am delighted to announce that advance payments at a rate of 85% totalling almost €17 million have started to issue to 15,527 farmers under the Sheep Improvement Scheme. This is the third year of the Sheep Improvement Scheme and provides support of €12 per breeding ewe for actions that improve animal health and welfare in the sheep sector. The commencement of these payments today demonstrates the continuing commitment of this government to the sheep sector. When combined with the €11.50 per ewe available under the 2025 National Sheep Welfare Scheme, total payment per ewe is €23.50 in 2025, a significant increase from the €20 per ewe in 2024 where farmers were participants in both schemes.”
The Minister continued:
“I am acutely aware of the importance of getting payments out to applicants as quickly as possible, on time and in line with the commitments that my Department has signed up to under the Charter of Rights for Farmers.”
The Minister concluded by stating that:
“€33.35 million has issued specifically to sheep farmers for sheep support schemes in November alone and I want to remind farmers that if they have received correspondence from my Department seeking documentation or clarification, they should respond to that as quickly as possible to allow processing of outstanding cases to continue. In addition, I would also like to remind farmers that to continue to be eligible for payment for the two sheep schemes, they must ensure that they submit their annual Sheep Census returns on time each year.”
Notes
The EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) is a partnership between society and agriculture that ensures a stable supply of food, safeguards farmers’ income, protects the environment and keeps rural areas vibrant. EU countries implement the CAP at national level with a tailored CAP Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027.
The Sheep Improvement Scheme has been introduced to enhance animal health and welfare in the sheep sector. The scheme provides financial support to farmers for taking extra steps to improve the welfare of their flock and has a total allocation of €100 million over the period 2023 - 2027.
Same as last year, payments currently issuing are an 85% advance payment on the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS). Payments may take up to five days to reach farmers’ accounts. The 15% balancing payment is due to commence in April 2026.
In line with previous years, 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.
|
County |
Advance Payment Beneficiaries |
Total Payment |
|
Carlow |
310 |
€450,024 |
|
Cavan |
362 |
€305,388 |
|
Clare |
111 |
€69,554 |
|
Cork |
715 |
€788,807 |
|
Donegal |
3083 |
€2,362,514 |
|
Dublin |
87 |
€109,293 |
|
Galway |
1792 |
€1,737,427 |
|
Kerry |
1446 |
€1,953,351 |
|
Kildare |
254 |
€424,667 |
|
Kilkenny |
178 |
€260,702 |
|
Laois |
142 |
€164,108 |
|
Leitrim |
575 |
€629,136 |
|
Limerick |
48 |
€70,288 |
|
Longford |
158 |
€153,734 |
|
Louth |
162 |
€246,585 |
|
Mayo |
2243 |
€2,080,331 |
|
Meath |
379 |
€603,758 |
|
Monaghan |
163 |
€150,991 |
|
Offaly |
196 |
€240,394 |
|
Roscommon |
737 |
€746,201 |
|
Sligo |
676 |
€708,145 |
|
Tipperary |
253 |
€399,269 |
|
Waterford |
160 |
€302,950 |
|
Westmeath |
289 |
€334,886 |
|
Wexford |
363 |
€513,570 |
|
Wicklow |
645 |
€1,101,988 |
|
Total |
15,527 |
€16,908,061 |