Minister Heydon announces reopening of the Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme for new applicants
- Published on: 20 April 2026
- Last updated on: 20 April 2026
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD, has announced the Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme (DBWS) will reopen for new applicants on Tuesday, 21 April 2026. The DBWS has a budget of €25 million over four years (2024 – 2027) and is co-funded by the EU as part of the CAP Strategic Plan (CSP).
Commenting on the reopening of the scheme, Minister Heydon said:
“I am pleased to announce that applications for entry to year three of the Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme will reopen to new applicants this week. This CAP Strategic Plan scheme demonstrates the commitment of this Government to supporting greater integration of the dairy and beef herds to improve the quality, welfare and viability of male calves from dairy herds.”
The Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme is a breeding measure providing support to dairy farmers to improve the animal health and welfare of the national dairy herd by using genetically superior beef sires for breeding dairy beef calves. Participants are required to use AI straws or stock bulls with a minimum rating of three stars on the ICBF Dairy Beef Index (DBI) and on the beef sub-index of the DBI.
This is the third year of the scheme as part of the CAP Strategic Plan with payments of €5.98 million issuing to some 9,175 farmers in February 2026 who had eligible calves born between 01 January 2025 and 31 December 2025. Applicants to the scheme in 2024 or 2025 do not need to reapply to the scheme as their application has automatically rolled over to 2026.
The Minister commented:
“In addition to the Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme, further proving this governments commitment to support this sector, I secured a sum of €4 million in Budget 2026 for another year of the exchequer-funded National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme (NDBWS). The NDBWS 2026 is also open for applications via MyAgfood.ie until midnight on 15 May 2026 and farmers must reapply for the scheme for 2026, even if they participated in NDBWS 2025.”
The Minister concluded by reminding farmers:
“If you applied for the CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme in 2024 or 2025 you do not need to reapply as your participation in the scheme will automatically continue.”
Farmers satisfying the scheme requirements will receive a payment of €20 per eligible calf up to a maximum of 50 calves per holding.
New applicants, or the Farm Advisory System (FAS) advisor authorised to act on their behalf, can submit their application to the CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme online through MyAgfood.ie until 23.59hrs on 15 May 2026.
Notes to Editors
About Ireland’s CAP Strategic Plan 2023-2027
The EU’s common agricultural policy (CAP) is a partnership between society and agriculture that ensures a stable supply of food, safeguards farmers’ income, protects the environment and keeps rural areas vibrant. EU countries implement the CAP at national level with a CAP Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027.
The Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme has been introduced to provide support to dairy farmers to improve the animal health and welfare of the national herd by using better genetic merit beef sires. The scheme shall run for four years from 2024 to 2027. Payment is €20 per eligible calf, up to a maximum of 50 calves, for each of the scheme years that the applicant is an active participant.
Active participants who applied in 2024 will be eligible for payment for each of the four years of the scheme, subject to compliance with scheme terms and conditions. Farmers who applied for the scheme in 2025 will be eligible for payment for 2025, 2026 and 2027. Farmers who apply for the scheme in 2026 will be eligible for payment for 2026 and 2027, subject to compliance with scheme terms and conditions.
Payments will be made to eligible participants in the March following the scheme year end e.g. Payments for Scheme Year 3 (01 January 2026 to 31 December 2026) will be made in March 2027 to eligible applicants.