The PRIA area-based subsidy application round is open and the clock is ticking. If you haven’t submitted your application in e-PRIA yet, you have exactly three weeks left – the round closes on June 15, 2026. Here’s what you need to know.
What’s open right now?
From May 15 to June 15, 2026, you can submit applications for more than 20 different subsidies in e-PRIA. For crop farmers, the most important ones are listed below.
Direct payments
The basic income support (PST) is the one almost every farmer applies for. In 2025, the unit rate was 108 euros per hectare, with the redistributive payment adding 24.02 euros per hectare for up to 130 hectares. These figures provide a good reference point, although the 2026 rates will only be confirmed in December.
The cereals and legumes direct payment was 31.50 euros per hectare in 2025, while the fruit, vegetable and berry crops payment reached 449 euros per hectare. Seed potato growers also have a separate direct payment.
If you’re under 41, it’s well worth applying for the young farmer’s payment – in 2025, it amounted to 105 euros per hectare on top of the basic income support.
Environmental payments
The environmentally friendly management payment (KSM) is widely used and consists of a basic activity and several additional activities that can be combined.
The basic activity rate depends on the crop: cereals, legumes and grasses yield 40–50 euros per hectare, while vegetables, strawberries and fruit crops bring 230–254 euros per hectare. Additional activities offer even more: catch crop cultivation pays 60–84 euros per hectare, organic mulch use 150–151 euros, green manure crops 110–154 euros, and the highest rate goes to the small multi-species field activity at 340–476 euros per hectare – though this requires growing at least eight different crops on a 0.3–1.0 hectare field. Giving up glyphosate across the entire holding pays 15–21 euros per hectare.
Also open are organic farming payments, eco-area payments, ecosystem services payments, peat and eroded soil protection payments, and groundwater and surface water protection payments. Each comes with its own conditions and commitments. KSM has a one-year obligation period, while some other agri-environmental schemes (e.g. organic farming) require a five-year commitment.
What to do before June 15
Here’s a practical checklist to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
1. Check your client data. If you haven’t applied for PRIA subsidies before, register as a PRIA client first. The data registration application must be submitted before the subsidy application.
2. Draw your fields in e-PRIA. The core of the application is the field map. Make sure your fields are drawn on the correct land parcels and that land use codes are accurate. Each field must be at least 0.30 hectares.
3. Assign crops. Each field requires a crop code. The 2026 crop list is available on the PRIA website.
4. Meet conditionality requirements. Since 2025, social conditionality requirements also apply – this means all agricultural activities must comply with working and employment condition standards.
5. Verify active farmer status. If your previous year’s direct payments exceeded 5,000 euros, you must meet at least one additional condition: having at least one hectare of agricultural land in use, at least one livestock unit, or maintenance costs of at least 60 euros per hectare.
6. Submit via e-PRIA. Go to “Taotlemine” then “Esita toetustaotlus” then “Pindala- ja loomapohiste toetuste taotlus”. An e-PRIA user guide is available on the PRIA website.
Investment support for small farms opens in June
If you run a small agricultural enterprise, pay attention to the small agricultural enterprise development investment support, with applications open from June 3 to June 30, 2026. The total budget is 17 million euros, of which 15 million is allocated to existing enterprises and 2 million to new entrants.
The support covers activities related to production, preservation, and pre-sale preparation of agricultural products. It also funds the adoption of new technologies, IT solutions, and resource efficiency improvements.
Mandatory information days for first-time applicants are scheduled for May 21, May 29, June 9 and June 16, 2026.
Peat and eroded soil protection support (MULD)
The peat and eroded soil protection support (MULD) deserves special attention – its application round is also open from May 15 to June 15, 2026. The aim is to reduce carbon emissions and protect soil organic carbon reserves and peatlands.
The MULD unit rate is 70 euros per hectare of eligible grassland per calendar year. The support is granted for grassland of at least 0.30 hectares where at least 65 percent of the soil type consists of peat soils or eroded soils. It is important to note that MULD and KSM cannot be received for the same land – you must choose one or the other.
Strict cultivation restrictions apply on peat soils: plowing is prohibited and milling is allowed only once during the entire five-year commitment period. Grassland must not be plowed, cultivated, scalped or disc-harrowed. Grassland renewal is permitted only by direct sowing and overseeding, and harrowing is also allowed. Overgrazing and the use of systemic herbicides are prohibited. Soil protection training must be completed and soil samples submitted by the second obligation year.
In summary
There are three weeks left in the area-based subsidy round – June 15 comes faster than you think. The most important thing is to check your land parcel data and submit your application in e-PRIA on time. The environmentally friendly management scheme (KSM) has a one-year obligation period, so you can decide each year whether to continue. Some other agri-environmental schemes (e.g. organic farming) require a five-year commitment, so think carefully about which activities suit your farm.
If you need help with subsidy applications, advisory planning or understanding conditionality requirements, let’s talk.
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