A new Beef Welfare Scheme is scheduled to open for applications in late July 2023, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has confirmed to Agriland.
The scheme will be available to suckler farmers in addition to the new Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP) under the CAP Strategic Plan, and DAFM has confirmed there will be no impediment to farmers joining both schemes, if they so wish.
According to the DAFM, the late July scheme opening date “will allow the department to present the farmer and his/her Farm Advisory System (FAS) advisor with the number of eligible cows calved and calves registered in the period July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023”.
The terms and conditions for the scheme are currently being finalised and will be announced in due course in advance of the scheme opening.
The new Beef Welfare Scheme
The Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) signed off on the €28 million package as part of the new scheme earlier this week, according to the Irish Farmers’ Association’s (IFA’s) Livestock Committee chair, Brendan Golden.
The new Beef Welfare Scheme will replace the Beef Environmental Efficiency Programme – Sucklers (BEEP-S) and compliment the SCEP which was rolled out this year.
Golden told Agriland that he expects measures such as vaccination, concentrate feeding to weanlings and dung sampling to be included as measures in the scheme.
Previously, suckler farmers participating in BEEP-S were required to weigh the calf and cow pairs in the scheme and send the weight data to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF).
However, this measure has now been included under the SCEP and therefore is not expected to be included in this additional new scheme when it is rolled out.
Payment rates
Golden said that the IFA has sought a payment of €90/cow under the new scheme, however he said that if all 500,000 cows entered in SCEP are entered in the additional suckler scheme, the payment “should be something over €60/cow”.
However, Golden emphasised that this is simply approximate calculations and DAFM has said the final terms, conditions and payment rates will be announced “in due course”.
Assuming the €60/cow payment rate is secured under the new scheme, suckler farmers would be securing combined support payments of €210/cow on their first 22 cows, when the SCEP payment is included.
The SCEP will pay participating farmers €150/cow on the first 22 cows and €120/cow on subsequent cows.
In each scheme year, applicants must calve at least 50% beef-breed animals of the yearly reference number.