BISS application - the most important paperwork for farmers each year

The online BISS application has opened for the 2025 applications with a closing date of Thursday 15 May. This is the most important piece of paperwork to be completed by farmers each year, as all of the 2025 DAFM scheme payments will be based on the details submitted, so it’s vital that it is done correctly.

Farmers can submit their BISS applications themselves, but it maybe safer to get an approved FAS (Farm Advisory Service) advisor to submit on your behalf, as few farmers submit their own tax returns - and this is far more important than paying tax!

The BISS application details all the land you are farming in 2025 and what crop type is growing on each parcel. It is important that the correct crop type is chosen to trigger the payment due under the various schemes such as ACRES, Multi-species Sward Measure, Red Clover Silage Measure, Protein Scheme etc.

You are not required to produce legal ownership title or a lease for the land you are declaring, but you do have to farming the land in 2025 and in control of the land on the 31 May 2025. You can add new land to the application each year and it is vital that all land farmed is included, as this will impact on your stocking rate and payments received. Your advisor will be able to locate the land on the online mapping system, so don’t panic about getting maps. It is a good idea to have some kind of signed rental agreement in place in case of a dual-claim query from DAFM that could delay payments due to you. It is also important to include your farmyard on the application, so DAFM can see where the ‘Farm Hub’ is located, and you may need the farmyard digitised for TAMS applications for fixed items such as sheds, tanks and solar panels.

With your BISS application submitted, you will know how many BISS Entitlements you can claim in 2025, as you’ll need 1 hectare of land for every BISS Entitlement claimed. If you have excess land over your own BISS Entitlement’s quota, you can rent in or purchase additional entitlements to maximise your payments. If you have less land than entitlements, due for instance to loss of former rented lands, it is important to ensure that all your BISS Entitlements are used in 2025, either by renting in additional land or renting/selling excess entitlements. Entitlements not used for two consecutive years are forfeited to the National Reserve.

The National Reserve (NR) is a facility for young farmers and new entrants to farming, to get an allocation of BISS Entitlements for their new farm. A new entrant must apply within three years of being registered on a herd number, whereas a young farmer (younger than 41 years in 2025) has five years from their date of setup to apply for the NR. You can receive up to 50 Entitlements, based on the area claimed that year, but you will only get one chance to get free entitlements, so it may be worthwhile delaying an application to the NR if you think you will have more ‘naked land’ (land without entitlements) in the coming years. Both types of applicants require a minimum Level 6 Agricultural qualification at the time of application.

The 2025 BISS application will trigger payments under the BISS Entitlements, the ECO scheme and the ANC scheme. It will also ensure an additional CISYF top up payment for young farmers, for a maximum of five years after starting farming. In addition payments under the Organic farming Scheme, Multi-Species-Sward/Red Clover Scheme, Straw Incorporation Scheme, the Protein Aid Scheme as well as the Suckler Cow SCEP and ACRES schemes are all based on the BISS application so it is vital to get it done in time and correctly.