Monaghan Farmers' Strike-Delayed BISS Payments to Issue Before the Weekend, as MEP Mullooly Warns a CAP Cut Would Hit Cavan and Monaghan Hard

Farmers across County Monaghan who were left waiting on their main EU income support payment because of the public sector strike should see the money start to issue before the weekend. Agriculture Minister Martin Heydon confirmed on Monday 19 October that the 2026 BISS and CRISS advance payments will begin this week, at the higher advance rate of 75%.

The news came as Midlands-North-West MEP Ciaran Mullooly told Northern Sound on Tuesday that any cut to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the next EU budget would have a huge impact on farmers across Cavan and Monaghan.

What happened to the payments

The Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) and Complementary Redistributive Income Support for Sustainability (CRISS) advances had been due to start on Friday 16 October. On the evening of 13 October, the Department of Agriculture said the industrial action under way across the public sector would delay them, and gave a new date of Tuesday 27 October.

In Monday's statement, Minister Heydon said he had been working intensively to find a solution, and he acknowledged the co-operation of the unions involved in recognising how important the payments are to farmers. He said further details would be given once available.

The Eco-Scheme advance was not affected and went out on schedule on 16 October. In Monaghan, 3,623 farmers were paid €4,600,074 that day, according to the Department's county breakdown. The Eco-Scheme rate stays at €66 per eligible hectare, the same as in 2025.

What the schemes are worth to Monaghan

The Department's county figures for the 2025 scheme year, published with last December's balancing payments, show 3,754 Monaghan farmers were paid €18,066,919 under BISS and CRISS. A further 3,698 received €7,827,392 under the Areas of Natural Constraints (ANC) scheme, and 132 young farmers got €562,505 under the young farmers' scheme (CISYF). Taken together, that comes to close to €26.5 million.

The same figures show how small Monaghan holdings are by national standards. The average BISS and CRISS payment in the county works out at about €4,800, against a national average of roughly €6,700. This month's average Eco-Scheme advance in Monaghan was about €1,270, compared with about €1,900 nationally. CRISS, often called front-loading, is designed to move CAP money towards small and medium farms, and is paid on each farmer's first 30 hectares.

The bigger worry: the next CAP

The EU's budget for the next seven years is being negotiated now, and Northern Sound reports that the Irish Government is responsible for preparing the final document. In the recently published draft, CAP would get just over €290 billion, more than 20% less than in the last EU budget.

Mr Mullooly, an Independent MEP, said the European Union should delay repaying its Covid-related debts so that more money is available for CAP. He said the Government needs to do more to protect farmers in Cavan and Monaghan, where recipients receive thousands of euro a year through the scheme.

It is the second time in a week the MEP has raised the draft budget's effect on the county. Last Friday, Monaghan Brief reported his warning that cross-border PEACE PLUS funding would fall to €150 million under the same draft, down from over €200 million.

If your payment hasn't arrived

The Department says payments can take a few days to show in bank accounts. Farmers with queries can ring the Direct Payments Helpline on 057 8674422 or use MyAgfood.ie. The Minister has urged anyone with outstanding requests for documents or evidence to send them back so that their payments can issue.