Minister clarifies eligibility of suckler farmers for new beef scheme
The focus of the scheme will be on practical measures to enhance animal health and husbandry on suckler farms.
Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue has said that all farmers with eligible suckler cows that produced an eligible calf during the relevant period are able to apply for this year’s new beef scheme.
The €20m Beef Welfare Scheme will open for applications in August as announced by the minister earlier this week.
The focus of the scheme will be on practical measures to enhance animal health and husbandry on suckler farms.
Mr McConalogue said he assures farmers that "all suckler farmers can apply for the scheme where they have calves born between July 1, 2023, to June 30, 2024".
"This means they are fully eligible to draw down both the €35 for meal feeding and the €15 for the vaccination measure once they have carried out the actions," he said.
"Keeping the scheme to just two measures means that it is as efficient as it possibly can be for all participants.
“Even in the small number of cases where calves born last autumn have now been sold on as weanlings, farmers remain fully eligible for the scheme. They can apply for payment for both actions where both were completed before the weanlings were sold.
"In the cases where calves were not vaccinated, they will not qualify for the €15 but the farmer remains eligible for the meal feeding payment which makes up €35 of the €50 payment per animal."
This is in line with previous schemes, Mr McConalogue said, however, where the scheme does differ, is that an adjustment has been made so there is no penalty applied to the meal feeding in the event of a farmer not applying for the second measure.
The Irish Farmers' Association raised concern this week, saying that suckler farmers "needed to know if the intention was to run the scheme for calves born between July 2023 to June 2024, and the measures required".
"Autumn 2023 born calves have now been sold and the opportunity to carry out the actions has passed," IFA livestock chairman Declan Hanrahan had said.
