Minister Heydon announces opening of year three of Sheep Improvement Scheme to new entrants
Waterford farmer Shay Kennedy with Rouge Cross sheep at the National Ploughing Championships. Photo: Mary Frances Ryan
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon, TD, has announced the opening of year three of the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS) to new entrants.
The five-year, €100 million SIS provides financial support to farmers for taking extra steps to improve the welfare of their flock.
Commenting on the opening of the scheme, Minister Heydon said: “I am delighted to announce that applications for entry to year three of the Sheep Improvement Scheme are now open to qualifying new entrants.
"This is the third year of the SIS, which builds on the progress made by the Sheep Welfare Scheme in the previous CAP.
"This scheme, which facilitates an annual opening for new entrants, demonstrates the continuing commitment of this Government to the sheep sector for the coming years.”
The Sheep Improvement Scheme is funded under Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) 2023-2027. The Scheme has a budget allocation of €20 million per year over the course of the CSP.
Farmers get €12 per breeding ewe per annum for completing flock welfare measures.
Applications must be made on agfood.ie. The application opening date was March 25, and the closing date is 11.59pm on April 29.
Meanwhile, Minister Heydon also announced the opening of a new National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme (NDBWS), which will support farmers rearing progeny from the dairy herd.
Minister Heydon said this would “further encourage greater integration of the dairy and beef sectors".
The scheme will target farmers rearing dairy beef progeny from the dairy herd, whether they are dairy farmers rearing their own calves or non-dairy farmers rearing dairy beef calves.
The scheme to be implemented in 2025 has a budget of €4 million. Participants in the NDBWS will be required to weigh eligible calves and submit weight data to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation. To qualify for payment, liveweight data must be submitted for a minimum of five calves in a herd and for a maximum of 50. All calves must be at least 12 weeks old at the time of weighing. Weight data should be submitted within seven days of weighing and, certainly, before 5.30pm on November 1, 2025. Farmers will only be paid on the number of calves in respect of which they submit liveweight data.
Applications for the 2025 NDBWS must be lodged online through agfood.ie before midnight on Thursday, May 15. Late applications will be accepted, subject to payment deductions, until midnight on Monday, June 9.
