26 November 2022
Applications open for €12/ewe scheme
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine has announced details of the new Sheep Improvement Scheme, which will offer farmers payment rates of €12/ewe.
Applications to the Sheep improvement Scheme are now open. To be eligible to apply, farmers must: submit a Basic Income Support for Sustainability (BISS) application for each year of scheme participation; submit a sheep census return for each year during the lifetime of the scheme – an exception is made for new entrants in year of entry; have an active herd number – or be a new entrant – and keep breeding ewes; and maintain the required number of breeding ewes during the scheme.
To qualify for payment, two welfare measures must be completed (outlined in Table 1). In the first year of application, all applicants will choose one action from the list of Category A actions and one action from the list of Category B actions as appropriate to their flock type when completing their online application form. Applicants are required to carry out one Category A action and one Category B action in any scheme year.
Table 1: Actions and options available
| Lowland Flock | Hill Flock |
|---|---|
| Category A Action | Category A Action |
| Lameness control | Mineral supplementation ewes post mating |
| Mineral supplementation ewes post mating | Meal feeding lambs post weaning* |
| Parasite control (faecal egg count) | Parasite control (faecal egg count) |
| Category B Action | Category B Action |
| **Genotyped ram | **Genotyped ram |
| Scanning and recording of results | Scanning and recording of results |
| Flystrike control | Mineral supplementation lambs pre weaning |
*Hill flocks may not choose both mineral supplementation of lambs pre weaning and meal feeding of lambs post weaning. **Applications must select the year(s) in which they will carry out the ram genotype action.
Genotyped ram
All applicants will be required to carry out the genotyped ram action within the first three years of scheme participation. Applicants who have a scheme reference number greater than 150 breeding ewes will have to carry out the genotyped ram action twice over the five years of the scheme, once within the first three years and then any year after the first year selected. In the year or years in which the applicants will complete the genotyped ram action, this will be their Category B action.
How to apply?
Applications are made by completing the Sheep Improvement Scheme online application form available on Agfood. Applications will close at midnight on December 19, 2022.