Latest news with #BeefWelfareScheme
Agriland
6 hours ago
- Business
- Agriland
How to secure the 'max payment' of €3,375 in new suckler scheme
The new suckler scheme known as the '2025 Beef Welfare Scheme' opened for applications yesterday (Wednesday, August 13). The scheme is much more straight-forward than schemes like the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP). In addition, the Beef Welfare Scheme is a one-year scheme as opposed to the SCEP, which is a five-year scheme. To avail of the maximum payment of €75/calf up to a maximum of 45 eligible calves, farmers must complete three actions. The actions and rates of payment are as follows: Action 1: Meal Feeding (Mandatory Action) €35/eligible calf; Action 2: Vaccination (Optional Action) €15/eligible calf; Action 3: Faecal Testing or Forage Testing (Optional Action) €25/calf. The maximum amount of money that can be drawn down from the scheme is €3,375. For the meal-feeding action, participants must introduce meal feeding to calves for a period of four weeks pre-weaning and two weeks post-weaning to reduce the stress on calves at weaning time. If action two (the vaccination option) is selected at application stage, participants must implement a vaccination programme against clostridial diseases and / or calf pneumonia in suckler calves and record details of the vaccination. If action three, faecal testing or forage testing is selected at application stage, participants must either carry out two faecal tests with a minimum of four weeks between each test for specified parasites and submit for testing or take three forage samples and submit for testing.
Agriland
a day ago
- Business
- Agriland
€28m Beef Welfare Scheme opens for applications
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Martin Heydon has today (Wednesday, August 13) confirmed that the 2025 Beef Welfare Scheme is now open for applications. The objective of the scheme is to further increase the economic efficiency of and enhance animal health and husbandry on suckler farms. The scheme supports farmers in meal feeding suckler calves at weaning and will allow them to undertake other voluntary actions to maximise their scheme payments. As in previous years, all suckler farmers who have eligible calves born on their holdings between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025 are eligible to apply for this scheme. Applications must be lodged online through the online portal before the closing date of September 24, 2025. Late applications will not be accepted in order to ensure that payments to participants who have passed all the necessary validation checks can commence in December 2025. The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) noted that the meal feeding action is mandatory under the Beef Welfare Scheme. Farmers have the option to vaccinate calves against clostridial diseases and/or calf pneumonia as well as to carry out faecal testing or forage testing where it suits their production systems. The payment rates for the Beef Welfare Scheme are as follows: Action 1 – Meal Feeding (mandatory): the rate of payment is €35 per eligible calf up to a maximum of 45 eligible calves; Action 2 – Vaccination (optional): The rate of payment is €15 per eligible calf up to a maximum of 45 eligible calves; Action 3 – Faecal Testing / Forage Testing (optional): The rate of payment is €25 per eligible calf up to a maximum of 45 eligible calves. Farmers or their advisor must indicate at application stage which, if any, voluntary actions they intend to complete. They will have the option at application stage of selecting a lower number of animals for the vaccination action than for the meal feeding action, if they so wish. If the testing action is selected, the number of animals eligible for payment will be the number of animals selected for meal feeding at application stage. DAFM said that in the event of the scheme being oversubscribed, a reduction in the maximum number of animals eligible for payment may be applied on one or more actions. Minister Heydon said that this year's scheme, which is worth €28 million, represents "a substantial increase in funding compared to 2024". "It offers farmers an opportunity to complete a wider range of straightforward measures along with an increase in the upper limit on eligible animals. "To give farmers the maximum opportunity to plan, I announced details of this scheme back in April. "These practical measures are aimed at optimising animal performance throughout its lifetime," he said. Suckler farmers can simultaneously participate in both the BWS and the five-year Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP). Farmers who take part in both schemes will be eligible to earn up to €225 per cow/calf pair for the first 22 pairs in a herd. DAFM reminded farmers to retain copies of receipts for the meal feeding and for the vaccination and testing actions, if they also choose those options. BWS participants who are also participating in the Parasite Control Consult under the Targeted Advisory Service on Animal Health (TASAH) and who wish to carry out the faecal egg count action under that scheme should not select the faecal count option in the 2025 BWS.
Irish Examiner
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Examiner
'Substantial increase in funding' in new Beef Welfare Scheme for suckler farmers
A new Beef Welfare Scheme, worth €28m, has opened for applications this week. Minister for agriculture Martin Heydon said: 'This year's scheme represents a substantial increase in funding compared to 2024. It offers farmers an opportunity to complete a wider range of straightforward measures, along with an increase in the upper limit on eligible animals.'' The Beef Welfare Scheme (BWS) will support farmers in meal-fed suckler calves at weaning and will allow them to take other voluntary actions to maximise their scheme payments. The meal feeding action is mandatory, but farmers have the option of other actions to be conducted under the scheme, such as vaccinating calves against clostridial diseases and/or calf pneumonia, and carrying out faecal testing or forage testing where it suits their production systems. Like previous years, all suckler farmers who have eligible calves born on their holdings between July 1, 2024, and June 30, 2025, are eligible to apply for this scheme. Applications close on September 24 and must be lodged online via the agfood website. Full terms and conditions can be found on the Department of Agriculture website under the 'Beef Welfare Scheme 2025'. Suckler farmers can simultaneously participate in both the BWS and the five-year Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme. Farmers who take part in both will be eligible to earn up to €225 per cow/calf pair for the first 22 pairs in a herd. Participants should retain copies of receipts for the meal and the vaccination and testing actions, if they also choose those options. They should maintain these records and submit them, on request, to the department to facilitate the processing of payments. BWS participants who are also participating in the Parasite Control Consult under the Targeted Advisory Service on Animal Health and who wish to carry out the faecal egg count action under that scheme should not select the faecal count option in the 2025 BWS.
Irish Independent
a day ago
- Business
- Irish Independent
Suckler farmers can now earn up to €225 per cow/calf pair, says Minister Heydon, as 2025 Beef Welfare Scheme opens
The standalone Beef Welfare Scheme offers payments of up to €35 per eligible calf, with a maximum of 45 calves per herd, an increase from 40 last year. Additional optional payments include €15 per calf for vaccination against clostridial diseases and/or calf pneumonia, and €25 per calf for faecal or forage testing. Minister Heydon said: 'This year's scheme represents a substantial increase in funding for suckler farmers. The measures are practical and aimed at optimising calf performance throughout its lifetime, while supporting the economic efficiency and welfare standards of the herd.' The BWS is open to farmers aged 18 or over with an active herd number, who have eligible suckler calves born between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025, and who submit a 2025 Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) application. Applications must be made online via by 11.59pm on 24 September 2025. Payments for validated applications will commence in December 2025. Farmers should keep receipts for meal feeding, vaccination, and testing, as these may be requested to facilitate payment. The IFA has sought removal of the upper limit on eligible animals per herd, warning that the cap restricts the scheme's benefits for larger suckler farms. Payments are available through three actions: Action 1 – Meal Feeding (Mandatory): €35 per eligible calf for up to 45 calves. Calves must be meal-fed for four weeks pre-weaning and two weeks post-weaning to reduce stress at weaning. Action 2 – Vaccination (Optional): €15 per eligible calf for up to 45 calves. Vaccinations must cover clostridial diseases and/or calf pneumonia, with records kept for submission. Action 3 – Faecal or Forage Testing (Optional): €25 per eligible calf for up to 45 calves. Farmers may carry out two faecal tests at least four weeks apart, or submit three forage samples for analysis. Full terms and conditions, including penalties for non-compliance, are available on
Agriland
24-04-2025
- Business
- Agriland
Beef Plan: ‘Realistic' Irish cattle prices must be maintained
Beef farmers 'have been waiting for ten years to secure realistic prices' according to John Maloney, vice chair of Beef Plan. Maloney also hopes that strong farm gate returns will be 'maintained'. But the vice chair of the beef farmers' organisation has also warned that a poor Mercosur deal could hold Irish beef prices below the waterline. He also fears that the Irish government could 'cave in' to pressure from other EU member states, who want to get a Mercosur agreement reached either before the end of this year or early in 2026. Cattle prices The Beef Plan vice chair added: 'Talk that a trade deal with the Mercosur block would see only 99,000t of South American beef coming into the EU is not really the issue. 'I have no doubt that Mercosur countries will target Europe with high-end beef cuts, for the most part. And this eventuality would almost certainly harm Irish beef prices. 'What's more, talk that a Mercosur deal will open up dairy export opportunities for Irish exporters is nothing more than a red herring. Hopefully, this is a reality that the Irish government will fully recognise.' Given this backdrop, Beef Plan has started a petition, through its social media channels, for farmers and other members of Irish society to confirm their opposition to a Mercosur deal. According to Maloney, approximately 1,500 people had signed up to the petition within hours of it going live., with the plan to circulate the final results amassed to all irish MEPs and TDs. 'The time to protest against a Mercosur deal is now,' he said. The video accompanying the Beef Plan petition highlights lower beef production standards allegedly in place across the Mercosur region, relative to those legislated for in Europe. In addition, the aforementioned 99,000t of beef imports from South America would come into the EU free of tariffs, which will further impact prices. The Beef Plan video also suggests that while the EU wants to cut cattle numbers in the face of climate change, many South American countries continue to cut down rainforest to facilitate higher levels of beef production. Meanwhile, Beef Plan has cautiously welcomed the decision by Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon to boost funding levels for the 2025 Beef Welfare Scheme by 25%. Maloney said: 'It is vital for suckler farmers to be adequately supported into the future.'
