The Irish Cattle and Sheep Farmers' Association (ICSA) has slammed impending cuts to payment rates for schemes for beef and sheep farmers.

The ICSA said that it has been informed by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine that payment rates for the National Beef Welfare Scheme (NBWS) and the National Sheep Welfare Scheme (NSWS) will be reduced because the schemes are oversubscribed.

The ICSA said that this is "deeply unfair and counterproductive, particularly after farmers were encouraged to invest in animal welfare improvements".

"Farmers stepped up, but the department didn't. Rather than rewarding stronger participation, farmers are now being punished for doing the right thing," ICSA president Sean McNamara said.

"That's no way to build trust or deliver real welfare outcomes."

The ICSA said that payment rates for 2025 will be cut from €75/calf to €67/calf in the NBWS, and from €13/ewe to €11.50/ewe in the NSWS.

Sources have indicated that, for the beef scheme, the cut in payment rates will come out of the two optional action categories.

These categories are vaccination against clostridial diseases or calf pneumonia (which was originally expected see payments of €15/calf); and faecal egg testing or forage sampling (which originally would have paid at a rate of €25/calf).

The mandatory action in the scheme, meal feeding, will not see a cut and will be paid at the outlined rate of €35/calf up to a maximum of 45 eligible calves, it is understood.

The ICSA president said: "Oversubscription should trigger extra support, not cuts. If more farmers are prioritising animal welfare, that’s a success story.

"Instead, a funding gap means farmers are being short-changed. Payment rates should be moving up not down, especially when costs are rising and inflation continues to bite,.

"These schemes are designed to promote best practice in herd and flock health. Cutting payments linked to those measures makes no sense whatsoever and risks farmers stepping back from vital improvements," he claimed.

McNamara added: "Adding insult to injury, Budget 2026 failed to increase allocations for these schemes, putting farmers at risk of further payment cuts next year if the shortfall is not addressed."

He called on Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine to "urgently top up" current funding and increase 2026 allocations to protect the promised maximum payment rates.

"Farmers were told the momentum towards €300 per suckler cow and €35 per ewe, when combined with SCEP [Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme] and Sheep Improvement Scheme, would be maintained.

"These schemes are vital to sustaining family farm incomes, and farmers cannot be expected to accept a stalled or shrinking support system," the ICSA president added.