Deadline fast approaching for National Sheep Welfare Scheme
Farmers wishing to apply to the National Sheep Welfare Scheme, who have not already done so, have a limited timeframe to submit their applications.
Launched by the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) in early April, the National Sheep Welfare Scheme (NSWS) offers a financial incentive to the tune of €8 per ewe to sheep farmers for shearing or body condition scoring of ewes, or clostridial vaccination or plunge dipping of ewes. The number of ewes for which a farmer can apply is based on Sheep Census returns from 2020 to 2023.
With a total budget of €15m, participants will be required to complete two actions to receive the full payment of €8 per ewe. The scheme consists of four possible measures, equally applicable to upland and lowland flocks, and grouped into two categories as follows:
- Category A – shearing or body condition scoring of ewes;
- Category B – clostridial vaccination of ewes (or lambs if ewes are already vaccinated) or plunge dipping of ewes.
At application stage, farmers must indicate which options they intend to carry out by selecting one from each category. Remember, these measures are additional to those in the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS) and must be applied for separately.
Application deadline
Applications must be submitted online through DAFM’s agfood.ie portal, either by the farmer themselves or by an approved FAS advisor acting on their behalf. The deadline for applications is May 21, 2024 at 23:59. Although a late application facility is available up until June 15, 2024 at 23.59pm, farmers choosing this option will face penalties.
The key aspects of the National Sheep Welfare Scheme
David Buckley from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine featured on a recent episode of the OviCast podcast to discuss key aspects of the National Sheep Welfare Scheme.
Joining host Ciaran Lynch, David gave an overview of the scheme, eligibility requirements, reference numbers and the application procedure.
Listen in below:
Full terms and conditions for the National Sheep Welfare Scheme are available on the DAFM website.