More than 2,400 valid applications were received under the Calf Investment Scheme earlier this year, the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has confirmed.

In a statement to AgriLand, the department confirmed that a total of 2,414 valid applications were received under the scheme.

It was noted that all valid applications are eligible to receive grant-aid of 40% on the lower of their approval/receipted cost subject to the terms and conditions of the scheme.

Of these 2,414 applications, approval letters have been issued to approximately 2,100 applicants and the remaining approvals will be issued once outstanding queries, including those raised with the applicants concerned, are resolved, the department added.

At the end of March, in light of the Covid-19 pandemic, and the significant demand for this scheme, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Michael Creed confirmed that he had increased the scheme’s budget from the original €1.5 million to €4 million, to fully fund all eligible applications received.

Under the scheme, the minimum investment required is €1,000, excluding VAT, while the maximum investment is €7,500 excluding VAT.

With the 40% grant aid applied to applications meeting all the terms and conditions of the scheme, the maximum grant for any applicant is €3,000.

The primary investment focus is supporting calf feeding systems such as computerised calf feeders, milk carts with mixer included and calf teat feeders.

When a farmer purchased one of these items, they were also eligible to receive support for the purchase of other items, such as calf milk heaters, calf forage/hay racks, calf meal troughs, calf feed barriers and calf pen dividers.