There has been no change to the funding allocated to livestock schemes in Budget 2027 with the overall allocation remaining at €131m.

The fund covers a myriad of schemes including the National Beef Welfare Scheme (BWS), Suckler Carbon Efficiency Programme (SCEP), National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme (NDBWS), the Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme, the National Sheep Welfare Scheme (SWS) and the Sheep Improvement Scheme (SIS).

It also supports the continued running of the National Genotyping Programme.

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There has been no breakdown on the funding allocated to particular schemes with the exception of the SWS with €22m in funding announced in Budget 2027 proceedings. It is expected that the other schemes will operate as outlined below.

SCEP

Funding allocated to SCEP is part of the CAP Strategic Plan and meeting existing payment commitments. There was over €50m allocated to SCEP under Budget 2026 with spending in 2025 in the region of €52.6m paid to 15,754 participants.

Beef Welfare Scheme

There were calls for increased funding for the BWS in Budget 2027 to cover an increase in participation and avoid a scenario of payments being cut to cover an oversubscription. Funding of €28m was allocated in Budget 2026 and it is highly likely that when a figure becomes available for Budget 2027 that it will be along similar lines.

Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme

This is another scheme where there has been calls to build upon the funding allocation of €4m. This figure failed to cover the number of calves entered in the scheme in 2025 resulting in the payment level being maximised at 31 calves, a reduction of 19 calves or a drop in the maximum payment of €380. Funding was set again in Budget 2026 at this level despite the over subscription and reports indicate it has been left unchanged which would tie in to the overall funding allocation remaining the same. A total of €4.097m was paid to 8,163 participants in 2025.

Dairy Beef Welfare Scheme

This scheme is part of the CAP Strategic Plan and as such funds have already been allocated. A total of €6.005m was paid to 9,207 participants in 2025.

Sheep Improvement Scheme

Again the SIS is another CAP Strategic Plan scheme with funding allocated at €100m over the lifetime of the scheme or €20m per annum. The scheme paid out €21.53m to 17,071 participants in 2025.

Sheep Welfare Scheme: As mentioned already this is the only scheme where a figure has been highlighted of €22m allocated for 2027, similar to the budget for 2026.

Strong response

Commenting on livestock scheme funding Minister for Agriculture Martin Heydon stated:

“These targeted supports will assist farm incomes nationally and assist the rural communities and regional economies.

"Farmers have responded well to these schemes, and these measures are delivering in terms of animal health welfare while improving the economic efficiency of cattle and sheep whilst also lowering associated emissions.

"I will also continue to fund the National Genotyping Programme to support my ambition of genotyping the entire national bovine herd.”