All you need to know about the Beef Welfare Scheme

Advertorial

John Conway

Teagasc B & T Drystock Advisor

The National Beef Welfare Scheme 2025 is now open for applications to suckler farmers i.e. have eligible calves born to eligible suckler cows in the period 1 July 2024 – 30 June 2025. To be eligible you must have submitted a BISS application in 2025 and you must be an active farmer. There are three actions within the scheme and two out of three actions are voluntary. The options and rates of payment are listed below:

· Action 1 – Meal Feeding (Mandatory): the rate of payment is €35 per eligible calf up to a maximum of 45 eligible calves. Participants must introduce meal feeding for a period of 4 weeks pre-weaning and 2 weeks post-weaning to reduce the stress on calves at weaning time.

· Action 2 – Vaccination (Optional): The rate of payment is €15 per eligible calf up to a maximum of 45 eligible calves. Participants must implement a vaccination programme against clostridial diseases and / or calf pneumonia in suckler calves and record details of the vaccination.

· Action 3 – Faecal Testing / Forage Testing (Optional): The rate of payment is €25 per eligible calf up to a maximum of 45 eligible calves. Participants must carry out two (2) faecal tests (with a minimum of four (4) weeks between each test or specified parasites and submit for testing or take three (3) forage samples and submit for testing

· Payments will commence to cleared cases in December 2025.

Applications must be submitted through agfood.ie. The closing date for applications is 23.59:59hrs on 24 September 2025. Full Terms and Conditions are available at agfood.ie/nationalbeefwelfarescheme2025.

Contact your local Teagasc office for more information.

Mullingar Office – 353 (0)449340721

Ballyhaise Office – 353(0)49 4338300

Monaghan Office - 353(0)47 81188