Eco-Scheme payments begin for Leitrim farmers
Over €4.5 million in Eco-Scheme advance payments to support sustainable farming across Leitrim.
Leitrim farmers are set to receive around 4.5 million as advance payments for the 2025 Eco-Scheme began yesterday.
There were 3,171 applicants in Leitrim who availed of the scheme, which will provide €195 million to 110,000 farmers nationally, according to the Department of Agriculture.
The Eco-Scheme rewards farmers who undertake sustainable farming practices that benefit the climate, environment, water quality, and biodiversity, with the 2025 payment rate set at €66 per eligible hectare.
The scheme will provide 21 million to farmers in counties across the northwest, with Sligo farmers receiving €5,082,331 across 3,545 applicants, and Donegal farmers receiving €11,891,800 across 7,750 applicants.
Sligo Leitrim Minister for Higher Education has Marian Harkin said the payments represent a “vital boost to farm families and rural communities”.
“This is a significant and very welcome investment in our farming community,” Minister Harkin stated. “In Sligo, Leitrim and Donegal these payments will deliver over €21 million directly into the local rural economy —money that will be spent in local shops, co-ops, and agri-services.”