€20m scheme for suckler farmers to open for applications in August
Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue the suckler farm of Raymond Palmer, Castlefinn, Co Donegal. Picture: Clive Wasson
Details of the new €20m beef scheme for suckler farmers have been announced.
The 2024 Beef Welfare Scheme will open for applications in early August.
The focus of the scheme will be on practical measures to enhance animal health and husbandry on suckler farms. It will have a budget of €20m.
There are two actions under the scheme to complete to get payment.
The first is introducing meal feeding for a period of four weeks pre-weaning and two weeks post-weaning to reduce the stress on calves at weaning time. This is a mandatory action.
The payment per eligible calf is €35, with 40 being the maximum number of calves eligible for payment per participant. Therefore, the maximum payment per farmer for this action is €1,400.
Action two is voluntary. If they opt into doing this, participants must implement a vaccination programme against clostridial diseases and/or calf pneumonia in suckler calves and record details of the vaccination.
The maximum payment for this action is €15 per calf regardless of whether the calf is vaccinated for one or both diseases. The maximum number of calves eligible for payment is 40.
The maximum payment under this action is €600.
Farmers can get a maximum total of €2,000 in the scheme.
Commenting on the announcement, Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue said: “Supporting suckler farmers is one of my priorities as minister and to this end, I secured an additional €20m in Budget 2024 and ringfenced it in my department's budget for this beef scheme.
"I can confirm that the scheme will open in early August, as it did last year. Together with the Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme, this will once again deliver on my commitment to deliver €200 per cow to suckler farmers.
"I am glad to confirm that as with previous national schemes, eligible calves are those born to eligible suckler cows in the period from July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024.
"This scheme will consist of two measures aimed at improving on-farm efficiency: namely a mandatory meal feeding action and an optional vaccination action. Farmers can select the second action where they wish to improve overall herd health on their holdings.”
