Minister Heydon announces €4 million Dairy Beef Weighing Measure
- Published on: 14 April 2026
- Last updated on: 14 April 2026
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, today announced the opening of the 2026 National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme (NDBWS).
Commenting on the opening of the measure, Minister Heydon said:
“Similar to its predecessors, this scheme is intended to offer diversification opportunities for dairy and beef farmers, enabling them to benefit from the growing importance of dairy-beef production. Calf-to-beef systems are specialised operations. This weighing action helps farmers with decision-making regarding their stock, while also providing more accurate data on herd performance at national level.”
The NDBWS scheme, which is designed to support farmers rearing progeny from the dairy herd, is unchanged from its 2025 iteration. Participants in the scheme will be required to weigh eligible calves and submit the weight data to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation. Eligible calves can be male calves of a dairy breed or male and female calves of a beef breed sire born to a dairy breed dam in a participant’s herd.
Minister Heydon further commented:
“This scheme targets 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. Between this scheme and the CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) dairy beef breeding measure, I am committing €10.25 million this year to support farmers breeding and rearing dairy calves intended for beef production. A successful dairy beef strategy will improve the resilience of the sector with additional benefits for calf health and welfare. This funding is consistent with the overall plan for growing the dairy-beef sector published by my Department in 2024 while continuing to maintain support for suckler farming as the cornerstone of Irish beef output.”
To qualify for payment, liveweight data must be submitted for a minimum of five eligible calves in a herd and for up to a maximum of 50. Farmers can weigh and upload data on an unlimited number of eligible calves in a herd but 50 is the maximum number on which they will be paid under the scheme.
All calves must be at least 12 weeks old and registered on the holding for at least 10 days at the time of weighing. Weight data should be submitted within seven days of weighing but no later than 17.30 on 1 November 2026. Farmers should note that they will only be paid on the number of eligible calves in respect of which they submit liveweight data by the closing date.
Applications for the 2026 NDBWS must be lodged online before midnight on Friday, 15 May 2026 using the MyAgFood portal.
Late applications will be accepted, subject to payment deductions, until midnight on Tuesday, 9 June 2026.
The full terms and conditions of the NDBWS and other relevant scheme information are available on the Department’s website.
Notes for Editors
The EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) ensures a stable supply of food, safeguards farmer incomes, protects the environment and maintains vibrant rural areas. It is being implemented at national level by a CAP Strategic Plan (CSP) worth €9.8 billion for the period 2023-2027.
The National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme complements the EU co-funded CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme which will operate until 2027 with a budget allocation of €25 million. The CSP scheme is a breeding measure which supports dairy farmers using genotyped and genetically superior beef sires for breeding dairy beef calves. Farmers who satisfy the scheme requirements receive a payment of €20 per eligible calf up to a maximum of 50 calves per holding.
In addition to the NDBWS announced today, a sum of €28 million was allocated in Budget 2026 for the implementation later this year of an exchequer-funded suckler beef scheme. The 2026 Beef Welfare Scheme (BWS) will be launched in mid-August 2026 with the same structure and actions as the 2025 BWS but, as announced on 24 March, participants will be able to vaccinate their animals against bluetongue virus, clostridial diseases or calf pneumonia under the optional Category 2 vaccination action.