Direct payments

Direct payments are the main form of support for farmers aimed at safeguarding their income levels and promoting sustainable agriculture.

In the new 2023–2027 programming period direct payments are supplemented with eco-scheme payments that are a new integral part of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) designed to promote sustainable farming practices and environmental protection. Farmers may opt voluntarily to participate in eco-schemes and receive additional payments for activities that go beyond mandatory environmental requirements.

Eco-schemes include a variety of measures, such as improvement of soil fertility, preservation and protection of water quality, reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, preservation of biodiversity and enhancement of animal welfare.

Each year 25 % of Lithuania’s annual direct payments allocation envelope is dedicated to eco-scheme payments.

Applicants may opt voluntarily to participate in eco-schemes and apply for eco-scheme payments.

Eco-schemes are designed for all types of utilized agricultural area (arable land, permanent crops and permanent grasslands as well as wetlands) enabling each farmer to have an option to participate in them and thus contribute to achieving environmental and climate objectives.

In 2025 we received 81.4 thousand applications under beneficial for climate, environment and animal welfare schemes which covered approximately 3.2 million hectares of declared utilized agricultural area. We paid out support for applicants amounting to EUR45.7 million. For a part of certain eco-schemes (“Conservation Tillage Technologies”, “Catch Crops”, and “Extensive Wetland Management”) payments will be made after 1 March 2026, when the commitment period of these measures ends and all the compliance requirements for them are checked. 

The most popular eco-schemes by the number of received applications:

• Conservation Tillage Technologies – 29 380 applications.
• Catch Crops– 13 611 applications.
• Maintenance of Landscape Features – 12 010 applications.
• Crop Rotation – 6 319 applications.
• Conversion of Arable Land into Grassland, Its Maintenance and Management –

6 011 applications.

• Extensive Management of Permanent Grasslands through Grazing – 4 606 applications.

Applicants declared the largest areas under the following eco-schemes:

• Conservation Tillage Technologies– 1 594 442 hectares.
• Crop Rotation – 789 023 hectares.
• Catch Crops – 385 616 hectares.
• Use of Certified Seed – 261 701 hectares.
• Extensive Management of Permanent Grasslands through Grazing – 66 177 hectares.