A fundamental overhaul of the Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme is immediately required, according to the Irish Farmers’ Association (IFA).
The association’s president Francie Gorman said that such a move is necessary in order to secure a viable and sustainable calf to beef sector.
“From the outset, we pointed out the glaring error in Ireland’s Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan when it omitted a rearing payment for calves from the dairy herd,” he said.
Gorman said that a 10-point action plan to support calf to beef systems launched by the Food Vision 2030 high level implementation committee (HLIC) in March provided “absolutely no financial support” for farmers.
Dairy beef scheme
The IFA president said that the association highlighted the absence of supports for calf rearers in submissions to the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue and his officials.
The farm organisation called for a payment of €100/calf for farmers rearing calves from the dairy herd.
Gorman said that the current dairy beef scheme provides a payment to dairy farmers for breeding higher beef merit beef calves, but provides no funding to those who actually rear the calves.
“This is a mistake and must be resolved. It’s not too late to correct this.
“The minister must come forward with a direct support payment of €100 per calf for farmers who are investing in rearing these calves.
“Many farmers entered into these enterprises on the belief that financial support for the rearer would be provided. They cannot be left high and dry by the minister on this,” the IFA president said.
Calf rearing
Farmers who were rearing calves in 2023 were eligible for a €20/calf payment up to a maximum of 50 calves for meeting the criteria of the National Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme (NDBWS).
This year, that payment will not be available to farmers who rear calves and will instead be paid to the dairy farmers producing calves.
According to the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) the CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme (2024-2027) is targeted at the dairy farmer “to support production of a beef calf that will provide more profitability to the farmer rearing the animal to slaughter”.
“The ultimate beneficiaries of this scheme are those rearing these calves as they will have significantly better beef traits,” a DAFM spokesperson told Agriland.
A total of 13,155 applications were received for the CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme by the May 15 deadline.