Schemes worth €45 million for cattle farmers announced 

Designed to help decision making on farms through better quality data on herd performance

In 2020, €40.46 million was paid out to 24,430 participants. Picture: David Morrison.  

Schemes worth €45 million for cattle farmers were announced this week, with €40m for the 2021 BEEP (S) scheme, and €5m for a new Dairy Beef Calf scheme.

Farmers are to get a payment of €20 each for recording weights of up to 20 calves per herd, in the new Dairy Beef Calf scheme.

It is designed to help decision making on farms, through having better quality data on herd performance, thus increasing the economic and environmental efficiency of beef from the dairy herd, and to further integrate the dairy and beef sectors.

Farmers can apply to participate, through agfood.ie up to Monday, April 26.

The BEEP (S) scheme will again require participants to weigh the live calf and dam and send weight data to ICBF by November 1.

There is extra payment for optional vaccination or meal feeding at weaning, or faecal egg testing.

The scheme measures weaning efficiency in terms of the live weight of the calf at weaning as a percentage of the cow’s live weight.

In 2020, €40.46 million was paid out to 24,430 participants.

This year, participants may be eligible for up to €90 for the first 10 suckler cow-calf pairs per herd and up to €80 per pair thereafter, subject to an overall maximum of 100 pairs, if all actions are applied for and completed.

The scheme is open for online applications at agfood.ie until April 26.

The scheme objectives are to increase economic and environmental efficiency in the suckler herd; improve the welfare of suckler calves at weaning; and control liver fluke in suckler cows.

IFA Livestock Chairman Brendan Golden encouraged farmers to apply for BEEP-S.

ICMSA President Pat McCormack said the Dairy Beef Calf scheme is available to dairy farmers and to farmers who purchase dairy calves, and is “a step in the right direction”.

It pays €20 per calf born in 2021 which is weighed when at least 12 weeks old. Weights must be submitted by November 1 to ICBF.

The ICMSA President said that with returns from dairy beef production more positive than suckler beef production, it is in everyone’s best interest to develop a strong dairy beef calf programme. 

“We think that this scheme will be popular and possibly over-subscribed so the Minister must ensure that sufficient funding is made available to keep the payment of €20 per head”, said Mr McCormack.

Eligible calves must be in the applicant’s herd for at least 10 days before weighing. 

Between five and 20 calves must be weighed.