Heydon: 1,270 apply for Fuel Support Scheme in first 36 hours
A total of 1,270 applications received within the first 36 hours of the Fuel Support Scheme opening shows the new payments process is working as intended, according to Minister Martin Heydon.
Farmers and farm and forestry contractors are eligible to apply for the scheme, which opened on Wednesday (May 6) and which will cover the five months from March to July.
According to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, the volume of applications received so far "is proof of how quick and simple our new payments process is".
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has said that the total payment each applicant will receive will be calculated once all claims have been submitted.
However, it is anticipated that approximately 20c/L of the estimated usage of marked gas oil, known as green diesel, over a five-month period will be the basis of the payment.
Applicants will make a self-declaration of usage for the 12 months of 2025 based on statements or receipts which will be subject to risk-based checks.
Under the scheme there will be one payment per applicant to cover a full five-month period rather than monthly payments.
In order to qualify for the scheme, farmers must have been actively farming in 2025, or commenced actively farming in 2026 and continue to do so this year.
The scheme will remain open until Wednesday, May 27, 2026, "with payments to issue as soon as thereafter".
Fuel scheme
However the Aontú leader and Meath West TD, Peadar Tóibín, has claimed that the "May deadline is not feasible from a logistical standpoint".
According to Deputy Tóibín "many farmers and contractors will be unable to meet this timeframe".
The Aontú leader leader said: “It has been brought to our attention that if the package is oversubscribed, applicants may receive reduced payments. The scheme should be sufficiently resourced to meet the needs of those experiencing financial pressure.
“Furthermore, small contractors with annual turnover below €30,000 who are not VAT-registered cannot access this system, which is inequitable.
"By limiting the system to VAT-registered businesses, the government has abandoned every small operator with a turnover under €30,000".
Practical support
But Minister Heydon has hit back at the claims leveled at the Fuel Support Scheme by Deputy Tóibín.
The minister said he had "acted decisively to deliver a practical support scheme for farmers and farm contractors facing soaring fuel costs".
"Instead of months of bureaucracy or vague promises I have introduced a scheme after engagement with the farm representative bodies that is straightforward, targeted and capable of getting money to farmers and farm contractors very quickly.
"The need for payments to start as soon as possible has been emphasised and we are enabling this and will continue to assist both farmers and farm contractors with their applications," the minister stated.
Minister Heydon also set out that "the reality is that every emergency support scheme requires deadlines and clear eligibility criteria".
He said that the three week process is something that the agri sector is "well used to" when it comes to applying for DAFM schemes.
Minister Heydon added: "We will monitor the level of applications and can extend the closing date if required, however the length of the application process is linked to the timing of issuing payments so it is in farmers and contractors interest that the application window isn’t any longer than necessary and that payments are issued as soon as possible.
"The application process was deliberately designed to be simple and accessible, and the overwhelming majority of applicants will have no difficulty meeting the requirements.
"Aontú’s attempt to undermine a scheme that is already providing certainty to thousands of food producers is disappointing but not surprising".
