29 March 2025
Are you eligible for the 2025 Dairy-Beef weighing scheme?
After its departure from the scheme ranks in 2024, the National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme has made a return for 2025.
A scheme to support farmers rearing progeny from the dairy herd, and having been in operation in 2021, 2022 and 2023, its reopening was announced by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD earlier this week.
Open to dairy farmers rearing their own dairy-beef calves or farmers rearing dairy beef progeny from the dairy herd, a total of €4 million has been allocated to the scheme, resulting in payment rates of €20 per eligible calf. To be eligible, participants must have a minimum of five eligible calves, while the maximum payment rate is on 50 calves.
To qualify for the scheme, farmers must:
- Be aged 18 years or over on the date of submission of the application for participation.
- Be the owner of an active herd number with Herd Owner status, herd keeper is not acceptable.
- Be farming a holding in respect of which a valid Basic Income Support for Sustainability application is submitted in 2025 to the Department.
- Had a male calf of a dairy breed and/or a male or female calf of a beef breed sire born to a dairy breed dam in their herd.
- These eligible calves must have been:
- At least 12 weeks of age at the time of weighing and has been registered on the holding s/he is being weighed on for a minimum of 10 days prior to the date of weighing;
- In the applicant’s herd for at least 10 days before weighing;
- Born between 1 July 2024 and 30 June 2025.
Through the scheme, participants will be required to weigh eligible calves and submit weight data to the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation (ICBF)
To qualify for payment
- Liveweight data must be submitted for a minimum of five calves in a herd and for a maximum of 50.
- All calves must be at least 12 weeks old at the time of weighing.
- Weight data should be submitted within seven days of weighing and, certainly, before 17.30 hours on 1 November 2025.
- Farmers should note that they will only be paid on the number of calves in respect of which they submit liveweight data.
Improving resilience
Commenting at the opening of the scheme, Minister Heydon said: “A successful dairy beef strategy will improve the resilience of the sector to future shocks, with additional benefits for calf health and welfare.”
Continuing on how the objectives of the NDBWS fit into his overall strategy for the development of dairy-beef sector, the Minister added:
“Both dairy and beef farmers recognise advantages for both buyers and sellers in a scheme that provides a market outlet for dairy beef calves, as well as an alternative business option for beef farmers. Both the national and CSP schemes are aligned with the 10-point plan to develop and support our growing dairy-beef sector, which was published by my Department in March 2024.
“The primary objective of both schemes is to increase the economic and environmental efficiency of beef from the dairy herd. While beef from the dairy herd contributes a growing proportion of national production, I will also continue to support suckler farming as a foundation block of Irish beef output.”
How to apply
Applications for the 2025 Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme must be lodged online through agfood.ie before midnight on Thursday, 15 May 2025. Late applications will be accepted, subject to payment deductions, until midnight on Monday, 9 June 2025.