Monitor breeding progress and sheep scheme compliance
Sheep Specialist at Teagasc, Damian Costello provides timely reminders on staying compliant with sheep schemes and monitoring ram performance as the breeding season gets underway.
For March-lambing flocks, rams will be introduced to ewes this month. The importance of raddling the rams cannot be overstated, as it means you can keep an eye on how mating is proceeding. Do not skip this very important task, even if running rams in groups as opposed to single-sire mating. Start with lighter colours that can be overmarked by a darker colour (e.g., yellow → orange → green → red → blue → black) and change the colour at least every 14 days. This will show repeats in the new colour. If a lot of ewes in a group start repeating, suspect that there is a problem with a ram. There is still time to do something about it – it’s much better than finding a lot of empty ewes at scanning.
Sheep schemes compliance
The Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) has indicated that advance payments for the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS) will commence in November, with National Sheep Welfare Scheme (NSWS) payments starting in December. For those participating in both schemes a combined payment of €25 per eligible ewe is available this year.
Ensure you are compliant and avoid penalties by completing your chosen tasks for each scheme by the relevant deadline. Fill in details on the relevant scheme record sheets and retain any necessary documentation that reflects the completion of actions. These will only need to be submitted if you are selected for an administrative check/inspection.