DAFM releases county-by-county Beef Welfare Scheme numbers
The Department of Agriculture, Food, and the Marine (DAFM) has this week released figures of a county-by-county breakdown of applicants entered in the National Beef Welfare Scheme (NBWS).
The figures were released following a parliamentary question posed by Fianna Fáil's Galway West TD, John Connolly to the Minister for Agriculture, Food, and the Marine, Martin Heydon.
Connolly's request included the number of applications for the NBWS in 2025 in each county, and the number of applicants who opted to participate in categories Action 2 and 3.
The county-by-county breakdown of applicants in Connaught were as follows:
| County | Total Applications |
| Galway | 3,019 |
| Mayo | 2,581 |
| Roscommon | 1,477 |
| Sligo | 1,060 |
| Leitrim | 1,153 |
Leinster:
| County | Total Applications |
| Carlow | 313 |
| Dublin | 60 |
| Kildare | 254 |
| Kilkenny | 454 |
| Laois | 479 |
| Longford | 752 |
| Louth | 177 |
| Meath | 556 |
| Offaly | 475 |
| Westmeath | 805 |
| Wicklow | 340 |
Munster:
| County | Total Applications |
| Clare | 1,894 |
| Cork | 1,669 |
| Kerry | 1,195 |
| Limerick | 568 |
| Tipperary | 852 |
| Waterford | 234 |
| Wexford | 472 |
Ulster:
| County | Total Applications |
| Cavan | 1,204 |
| Donegal | 1,532 |
| Monaghan | 901 |
Scheme category
The minister also outlined the number of applicants in Category 2 and 3 of the scheme, which are as follows:
| Action | No. of Applicants |
| Category Action 2 - Vaccination | 19,249 |
| Category Action 3 - Faecal Egg Count/Silage | 20,492 |
The NBWS closed at midnight on September 24, 2025. The scheme includes three category actions, the first category (Action 1) is mandatory and involves meal feeding up to a maximum of 45 eligible calves, at a payment rate of €35 per eligible calf.
The second two categories (Action 2 and 3) are optional. Action 2 requires vaccination against clostridial diseases or calf pneumonia.
Vaccination can be carried out on up to a maximum of 45 eligible calves, at a payment rate of €15 per eligible calf.
The last category (Action 3) involves either faecal testing or forage testing, depending on what the applicant choses.
If Action 3 is chosen, the applicant must:
- Carry out two faecal tests (with a minimum of four weeks between each test) for specified parasites and submit for testing;
OR
- Take three forage samples and submit for testing.
The payment rate for this action is €25/calf up to a maximum of 45 eligible calves. According to DAFM, payments will commence to cleared cases in December 2025.
Speaking about livestock schemes in Budget 2026, Minister Heydon said: "Recognising the importance of the drystock sectors, I will be maintaining the existing overall allocation for the various livestock schemes, which will amount to €131 million in 2026.
"These targeted supports for beef, sheep and suckler farmers will assist farm incomes and encourage positive actions on farm.
"I will also continue to fund the National Genotyping Programme to support my ambition of genotyping the entire national bovine herd."
