CSP Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme

The scheme will be co-funded by the National exchequer and the European Union.

The objective of the CAP Strategic Plan Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme is to provide support to dairy farmers to improve the animal health and welfare of the national herd by using better genetic merit beef sires. The scheme shall run for 4 years from 2024 to 2027.

To be eligible for the scheme you must:

• Be aged eighteen 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

• Submit a valid Basic Income Support for Sustainability application on a yearly basis

• Be an active farmer

And have

• a male or female calf sired by a beef breed born to a dairy dam

These eligible calves must have been:

• born on the holding within the scheme year

• tagged and registered within 27 days of birth

• Where a herdowner (or a FAS advisor acting on their behalf) applies for the scheme in any scheme year they are active in the scheme for that scheme year and future scheme years for the duration of the scheme unless they seek to be withdrawn (in writing) or are removed.

Mandatory action:

There is only 1 action required under the scheme. Applicants will be required to have calves born on the holding in the scheme year which must be sired from a 3 or 4 or 5 star stock bull or from 3 or 4 or 5 star AI straws or a mixture of both.

Sires must be genotyped (have a genomic evaluation)

And

A minimum of 3 star rating on the Dairy Beef Index (DBI) within and/or across breed

And

A minimum of 3-star rating on the Beef Sub Index of the DBI on a within and/or across breed

Payment is €20 per eligible calf, up to a maximum of 50 calves, for each of the scheme years.

Payments for scheme year 1 (2024) will be made in March 2025 and annually thereafter until 2028.

Applications must be made on agfood.ie

The closing date for scheme year 1 (2024) applications is 15 May 2024.

The closing date for scheme year 2 (2025) applications is 15 May 2025.

This is an outline of the Measure. You must read the Terms and Conditions for full information.