Final day to apply to the National Beef Welfare Scheme
Farmers have just hours left to apply to the National Beef Welfare Scheme, which will close to applications at midnight, today, September 26th.
The scheme consists of two mandatory actions: meal feeding suckler calves pre and post weaning; and testing for the presence of IBR in their herds.
Participants must get their herd tested for IBR by engaging a veterinarian to select, blood sample and test up to 20 animals for IBR antibodies. Where a herd has 20 or more bovines, 20 must be tested. If a herd has less than 20 bovines, then all must be tested. Farmers will be paid up to €300 per herd depending on the number of animals tested for IBR.
Farmers who have applied or are applying to the scheme are urged to engage with their vet as early as possible, as the IBR element of the scheme must be completed and the blood samples with the laboratory by 5.30pm on 1st November 2023 at the very latest.
Participants are also reminded that they must introduce meal feeding for a period of four weeks pre-weaning and two weeks post-weaning to reduce calf stress at weaning time. Farmers will be paid €35 per eligible calf - up to a maximum of 40 calves.
Applications must be lodged online through agfood.ie. There is no facility for late applications after the new extension closing date of the 26th of September 2023 and the department expects to commence payments to cleared cases in early December 2023.
Aidan Murray, Teagasc Beef Specialist, joined Catherine Egan on a recent episode of the Beef Edge Podcast to discuss the scheme’s details. Listen in below: