The Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS), part of the new Common Agriculture Policy (CAP), includes many of the same measures that farmers undertook as part of the Sheep Welfare Scheme (SWS).
However, one new measure, which is causing a lot of talk among farmers, is the ‘Genotyping Ram action’ – an action which farmers must complete once during the first three years of the scheme.
Actions
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has said that SIS applicants must choose one action from category A and one action from category B as appropriate to their flock type (lowland or hill).
The various action categories and choices are as follows:
Something to be wary of for hill flocks is that farmers can’t choose both mineral supplementation of lambs pre-weaning and meal feeding of lambs post-weaning.
Furthermore, the year(s) in which the ram genotyped ram action will be carried out must be selected.
Genotyped ram action
All applicants will be required to carry out the genotyped ram action at least once during the first three years of the scheme. The genotyped ram option then becomes their category B action for that year(s).
Where an applicant has a reference number greater than 150 breeding ewes, they will be required to carry out the genotyped ram action twice over the lifetime of the scheme.
Applicants will select the year, or years, in which they will carry out the genotyped ram action when applying.
For each scheme year, applicants will be required to record completion of their actions in a record book provided to participants by the department. For successful applicants, record books will be sent out in January.
Requirements
Under the genotyped ram action, all applicants to the scheme will be required to purchase and use a ram in the first three years of the scheme, with applicants with a reference number of greater than 150 breeding ewes selecting to carry out this action for the second time in any year after the first year they selected to carry out the action.
Lowland flock
If you are farming a lowland flock, the ram must be four or five-star on the replacement or terminal index. It must have a genomic evaluation with Sheep Ireland at the time of purchase and be a type one, two or three for scrapie.
If it is a type four or five for scrapie, it will not qualify.
Hill flock
If you are farming a hill flock, if the ram is a Scottish Blackface type or a Cheviot, the ram only needs to be DNA sire-verified by Sheep Ireland and be a type one, two or three for scrapie at the time of purchase.
Alternatively, hill flock participants may purchase a four or five-star ram on the replacement or terminal index which has a genomic evaluation with Sheep Ireland at the time of purchase and is also a type one, two or three for scrapie.
If it is a type four or five for scrapie, it will not qualify.
The DAFM has said that appliants may be required to submit evidence that they have successfully completed the genotyped task.