Minister McConalogue confirms details of new €20m beef scheme for suckler farmers
- Published on: 9 July 2024
- Last updated on: 11 July 2024
2024 Beef Welfare Scheme will open for applications in early August
Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine Charlie McConalogue T.D, today announced a new support scheme for the suckler sector will open on schedule in early August. The focus of the 2024 Beef Welfare Scheme (BWS) will be on practical measures to enhance animal health and husbandry on suckler farms. It will have a budget of €20m.
Commenting on the early announcement, Minister McConalogue said:
“Supporting suckler farmers is one of my priorities as Minister and to this end, I secured an additional €20m in budget 2024 and ringfenced it in my Departments budget for this beef scheme. I can confirm that the scheme will open in early August, as it did last year. Together with Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP), this will once again deliver on my commitment to deliver €200 per cow to suckler farmers.
The Minister added,
“I am glad to confirm that as with previous national schemes, eligible calves are those born to eligible suckler cows in the period from 1 July 2023 to 30 June 2024. This scheme will consist of two measures aimed at improving on-farm efficiency: namely a mandatory meal feeding action and an optional vaccination action. Farmers can select the second action where they wish to improve overall herd health on their holdings.”
The 2024 BWS will support farmers in meal feeding suckler calves before and after weaning, and in vaccinating against clostridial diseases and calf pneumonia. While the meal feeding action is mandatory for scheme participants, farmers must indicate that they are selecting the optional vaccination action at application stage if they wish to be considered for payment under this action. Farmers can then decide during the implementation phase, where appropriate in consultation with their veterinary surgeon, which disease they wish to target depending on the health status of their herds.
Minister McConalogue concluded
“This scheme is worth €20 million in additional income to suckler farmers. When coupled with the SCEP, participants in the BWS will be eligible for €200 per cow/calf pair for the first 22 pairs.”
ENDS
Photo Caption: Minister McConalogue photographed with Raymond Palmer, a suckler farmer from Castlefinn, County Donegal
Notes to Editors
Q: Who is eligible to apply for the scheme?
Participants must be a suckler beef farmer i.e. have eligible calves born to eligible suckler cows in the period 1 July 2023 – 30 June 2024.
Q: What are participants required to do to obtain a scheme payment?
There are two actions in the scheme:
• Action 1 - Meal Feeding pre-weaning and post-weaning is a mandatory action.
• Action 2 - Vaccination is an optional action which participants (or their FAS advisors acting on their behalf) must select at application stage.
Q: What must participants do to obtain payment under Action 1?
They must introduce meal feeding for a period of 4 weeks pre-weaning and 2 weeks post-weaning to reduce the stress on calves at weaning time.
Calves must be supplemented with compound feeding stuffs containing appropriate minerals and vitamins. Meal feeding must be carried out on the number of calves selected by the applicant (or their FAS advisor acting on their behalf) at application stage, subject to the maximum of 40 calves.
Q: What must participants do to obtain payment under Action 2?
They or their FAS advisor must select this action at application stage. If this action is selected at application stage, participants must implement a vaccination programme against clostridial diseases and / or calf pneumonia in suckler calves and record details of the vaccination. The maximum payment for this action is €15 per calf regardless of whether the calf is vaccinated for one or both diseases.
Where appropriate, it is advised that participants should consult with their veterinary surgeon for the most suitable vaccination programme for their specific farm. For a vaccine to work properly, farmers must follow the vaccination programme for the product being used and allow the time required for the onset of immunity.
A record must be kept by each participant on the purchase and use of vaccines. Vaccination must be carried out on the number of calves selected by the applicant (or their FAS advisor acting on their behalf) at application stage, subject to the maximum of 40 calves.
Q: What is the maximum payment available to participants who correctly complete both actions?
| Payment per eligible calf | Maximum number of calves eligible for payment per participant | Maximum payment per participant | ||||
| Action 1 – Meal Feeding (Mandatory Action) | €35 | 40 | €1,400 | |||
| Action 2 – Vaccination (Optional Action) | €15 | 40 | €600 | |||
| Scheme Total | €50 | 40 | €2,000 |
Note: In the event of the scheme being oversubscribed, a linear reduction on the payment amount or maximum number of animals eligible for payment may be applied across either action 1, action 2 or both.
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 tailored CAP Strategic Plan for the period 2023-2027