The Department of Agriculture is reminding farmers who have or will receive a letter from them under the 2025 Beef Welfare Scheme to return receipts/evidence and the action record sheet by the date indicated on the letter, to ensure that they considered for payment in December 2025.

There are two outcomes to the request:

  • 1. Farmers who return all the requested documents for each of the actions they applied for at application stage by the requested date and pass all validation checks will be considered for payment in December 2025.
  • 2. Where a farmer does not provide sufficient evidence to confirm all applied for actions were sufficiently undertaken as per the scheme terms and conditions and/or receipts/evidence/records are not provided by the date indicated on the Departments letter, they may be subject to penalties.
  • This could result in a reduced payment, no payment or the application of an administrative penalty depending on the rate of compliance.

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    Farmers do not need to submit information unless requested to do so by the Department, but the scheme action record sheet must be complete and furnished for review on request.

    It is important to ensure dates coincide with the actions and sale dates etc and the required number of animals are accounted for.

    Dairy beef weighing scheme

    Weights of animals under the National Dairy Beef Weighing Scheme must be recorded with the Irish Cattle Breeding Federation by the latest of 5.30pm on 1 November 2025.

    Applicants must weigh a minimum of five eligible calves and up to a maximum of 50 calves.

    Such calves must be at least 12 weeks old at the time of weighing and be registered in the applicants herd for at least 10 days before weighing.