There is just over one week left for farmers to apply to the €25m Sheep Welfare Scheme, with the deadline set to close on Tuesday, January 31.
Farmers will be provided with a payment of €10/ewe, as long as they comply with the terms and conditions of the scheme.
Recent figures from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine show that over 6,300 applications have already been made to scheme.
It is hoped the scheme will make a meaningful positive contribution to sheep welfare with particular regard to the production system and the environment in which Irish sheep production takes place.
Sheep farmers with breeding ewes can apply for payment based on two actions they choose from a menu to undertake, depending on their flock type.
Farmers who are accepted into the scheme must choose one option from each category.
*Hill flocks may not choose both mineral supplementation of lambs and meal feeding of lambs post weaning.
The scheme, which is proposed to run for four years, will take the average number of breeding ewes the farmer held in 2014 and 2015, as declared on the sheep census, as the eligible number of ewes. Everything farmers need to know about the Sheep Welfare Scheme
Information Meetings
A number of meetings have been organised for throughout the country for farmers who want to receive more information on the scheme.
The remaining meetings are set to go ahead this week, while speakers from the IFA, the Department and Bord Bia are expected to be present at these meetings.
- Monday, January 23, Tullamore, Co. Offaly.
- Monday, January 23, Aughrim, Co. Wicklow.
- Tuesday, January 24, Bunclody, Co. Wexford.
- Tuesday, January 24, Dundalk, Co. Louth.
- Wednesday, January 25, Ardara, Co. Co. Donegal.
- Thursday, January 26, Tuam, Co. Galway.
All sheep farmers have been encouraged to apply to the scheme recently by the IFA and the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed.
Details of how to apply to the scheme, as well as some frequently asked questions, can be found on the Departments website.